


How to Make a Monster

by Velace



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Food Porn, Shameless Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 14:34:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2028657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velace/pseuds/Velace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina decides to make amends after upsetting the Savior. What she doesn't realise is that in doing so, she finds the key to Emma's heart – food. Takes place after they return from Neverland.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Feeling a disturbance in the protection spell around her property, Regina dusts the flour from her hands and puts aside her indecipherable urge to bake as she exits the kitchen. She makes her way from the kitchen to the front door, a fair idea of who she's about to find standing on the other side.

Flinging the door open, her suspicion is confirmed in the form of a red leather-clad Sheriff standing on her step with a look of confusion on her face. For a moment, she considers slamming the door in her face and going back to what she'd been doing previously but curiosity wins her over. She raises an eyebrow, awaiting whatever inarticulate babble is about to flow from Emma's mouth to explain why she is once again bothering her at her home.

Emma tries to smile but ultimately fails as her lips refuse to do what she wants and she ends up frowning instead. She swallows nervously as Regina continues to stare blankly at her, knowing she's waiting for a reason as to why Emma is standing there. She tries to search her brain for an answer, unable to do so since quite frankly, there isn't a single reason that makes sense beyond blaming her magic.

Prior to being where she now is, Emma had been sitting on her couch in her recently acquired, parent-free apartment, stuffing her face with deliciously unhealthy junk food while watching reruns of M.A.S.H. For a brief moment she'd thought of Regina when Houlihan came on-screen to yell at Hawkeye for – something, she doesn't really remember what but it sparked a desire to see the woman standing before her. A woman who is slowly growing more and more agitated, if her changing expression is any indication.

"Hi." She manages a smile, hoping Regina won't be too hard on her as she tugs a hand through her curls.

Regina rolls her eyes with a huff. Honestly the woman irritates her to no end; showing up at her house and making her stand here with the door wide open, letting all the cold air inside while she dallies about only to offer up a silly, unimportant greeting. She shatters what little hope Emma has into a few billion pieces simply with the tone of her voice.

"Truly a thrilling conversation, dear. If that is all, then please feel free to..." she pauses to flash one of her deceptively fake smiles. "Get off my porch."

Throwing caution to the wind, Emma puts a hand out to Regina from closing the door on her. She may not have the words to express her reason for being there, but it doesn't change that fact she _is_ and the Mayor is just being rude now. "Come on, Regina, I thought we were over this shit."

"Recent events would appear to disagree with you, Miss Swan." Despite the words, Regina steps away from the door and leaves it open for the annoying woman as she sashays through the foyer and back to the kitchen. Truthfully, the days of challenging each other and being at odds with one another have long since passed. For the sake of their son, the Charmings and the Mills had formed a tentative peace after their return from Neverland.

"Whatcha making?" Emma asks, walking into the kitchen to find Regina mixing ingredients together.

Turning her back to the blonde, Regina grabs a bowl containing the sifted baking powder and adds it to the one in the crook of her arm before turning back around and continuing to beat the mixture. She responds to the question when Emma takes her seat at the counter. "Lamingtons."

Emma blinks slowly. "I'm sorry, all I heard was complete gibberish."

When dealing with the insipid Charming family, rolling her eyes is quickly becoming a sport of sorts for Regina, and she explains as she does so once more. "It is sponge cake covered in icing and sprinkled with coconut. I thought you, being the bottomless pit of junk food consumption that you are, would recognize a dessert when you heard one."

"Well excuse me for not having memorised the entirety of Betty Crocker," Emma sasses.

"Edmond's," Regina corrects as she greases a large, rectangular dish before pouring in the contents of her bowl.

Emma watches all of this with an odd sense of fascination. She knew Regina could bake, what with the whole apple turnover incident all those months ago but she'd never been present when the woman did so and she wonders if it's as calming as Regina makes it look.

It isn't until the sound of the oven door closing that she snaps back to the present, realising Regina had said something she hadn't heard. "What?"

Regina shakes her head. "It's from the Edmond's Cookery Book; the dessert is an Australian recipe but a well-known part of New Zealand cuisine… Would you like some coffee?"

Thrown off guard by the casual offer of caffeine combined with the entirely useless knowledge of baking trivia, Emma takes a moment to convince herself she _isn't_ imagining things. "Uh sure... thanks."

They aren't friends, the fact she has allowed Emma to enter her home is unusual enough, the offer of refreshments is a whole new level of weirdness she doesn't really want to think about. Regina nods, pretending not to have caught the second or two of confusion as she turns and begins preparing the coffee maker.

"So, are you going to tell me why you are here?"

Emma releases an amused snort as she stares through the window into the backyard. "As soon as I figure that out, you'll be the first to know."

"You mean to tell me you just decided on a whim, to walk over here and interrupt what was such a pleasant day for me, for no reason at all?" There's not an ounce of incredulity in her voice, as she finds it far more believable than any poor attempt at an excuse Emma may have concocted to explain her arrival.

Disregarding the hidden insult, Emma shrugs. "Aside from the minor error where you assumed I walked here, that about sums it up, yeah."

Tilting her head to the side with a frown, Regina leans back against the bench and folds her arms across her chest. "Well I didn't hear the heap of scrap metal you call a car, so naturally I assumed."

Propping her elbows on the counter, Emma leans forward and rests her chin in her hands. "Why do you have to make everything sound so insulting? Is it really too difficult to be nice occasionally, or would you spontaneously combust if you made the effort?"

Before Regina can think of a way to respond, Emma continues. "I mean I realise I'm not your favourite person, I probably don't even rank in the top ten but it's not like I actively try to upset you. You may not like that we share a son or that we've gone through so much together but the fact is we have, one would think that would be reason enough to at least tolerate each other without thinly veiled insults being thrown at every opportunity."

By the time she runs out of air, Regina has both cups of coffee set before them and is in the process of sitting on the opposite side of the counter. She looks to Emma as she takes her seat, voice laced with mock disappointment. "Oh you're finished? Pity, I was just getting comfortable."

Emma sighs as she reaches for the cup nearest her, inhaling the intoxicating aroma before taking a sip, all the while staring at Regina as she wonders how she's meant to get through to the infuriating woman. She knows this constant passive-aggression is simply Regina's way of protecting herself but why Regina thinks she needs it with her, Emma doesn't understand it at all. She isn't sure she ever will.

"Fine, keep your snark and be an asshole the rest of your life."

"Excuse me?" Regina snaps. As familiar as she is with the blonde's propensity for vulgarity, never has it been used on her in such a manner— at least not while she is within earshot and capable of incinerating her with a simple flick of the wrist.

"See how annoying that is?"

Emma rises from the stool after downing the rest of the coffee. Whatever the reason her magic deemed important enough to bring her here, it isn't worth the migraine forming at the back of her head.

Taking her cup to the sink, she rinses it –to the shock of the brunette watching her— before she moves to exit the kitchen and leave the house.

"Thanks for the coffee," is the last thing Regina hears before the sound of her front door closing, and she closes her eyes with a soft sigh as the house returns to feeling too quiet, too empty for its single occupant.

* * *

 

Aside from that day, Emma's weekend was as uneventful as ever and while she's thankful to be back at work where she can keep herself busy, it still isn't enough to take her mind off the unstable magic coursing through her veins. Up until Saturday, it hadn't overly made itself known. There were little displays here and there; a light switching off unexpectedly or something that was perfectly safe up high somewhere, somehow finding its way to the floor.

Little, minor things that didn't need to be acknowledged too much.

After the sudden transportation and how little choice was involved in performing such a feat, however, she's beginning to worry that perhaps she should be taking this whole having magic thing more seriously.

"Hey ma," Henry interrupts her thoughts as he walks into her office and the sight of the container he's holding in his hands instantly gains her undivided attention.

He notices where her eyes are glued and grins as he places it far enough away from her that she'd need to stand or at least stretch across the desk to find out what's inside. He thinks it strange that his other mom asked him to deliver it to Emma but he already knows what's inside the box and it's always fun to test her resistance. "Mom asked me to bring that to you. When I asked her why, she said it was an apology but I wasn't meant to tell you that."

Emma's lips twitch at the corners and her curiosity is definitely piqued. She places her pen down and leans back in her chair, content to let the anticipation build while she talks with her son. "Won't she be mad that you told me?"

He shrugs. "Maybe, but you can be a bit dense sometimes."

"Hey!" She can't help the chuckle that follows the exclamation but she manages to fix him with a half-hearted glare, even though they both know it's being wasted on him and his smug little monkey face. "You're a horrible son."

With a nod and a smile, he doesn't bother refuting the claim. "Yeah but I come bearing gifts, so you'll forgive me and tell me how much you love me when you give in and stop pretending you're not curious."

Had he been someone else's kid, she'd wonder how someone so small could be the biggest smart ass she knows. Bad enough that he has her genetics, combine that with being raised by Regina who is possibly the sassiest woman alive and you get a little shit for a kid. She thinks that of him in the most endearing way possible, of course. She does love her son, more than anything and it still amazes her; that she's capable of feeling so strongly about another person.

"Alright kid, what did your mother make for me?"

He pushes the container across her desk and she has to catch it before it falls to the floor. She sighs upon almost dropping it and ignores his chuckle as she snaps open the tabs holding the lid in place. She frowns at what she finds inside.

Glancing back at him, she raises an eyebrow. "What are these?"

Smiling, he reaches over and plucks the only pink one from a sea of brown sponges, dropping bits of coconut all over the desk before he flops back into his seat and takes a bite of it, mumbling a reply around the mouthful of food. "Lamingtons."

"Those things she was making on Saturday?" She gingerly takes one between thumb and forefinger, eyeing the fluffy dessert suspiciously while Henry continues to devour his without so much as breathing before all that's left of its existence is the white sprinkles around his mouth.

Those last about as long before they too disappear.

He nods when he finishes cleaning himself with his tongue. "Yeah, but she made these this morning. She usually only makes the raspberry ones since they're my favourite but I remembered the face you made when I ordered that milkshake in New York, so she made yours chocolate."

"Seriously, she made me apology dessert?" She chuckles before taking a bite and— _oh sweet Jesus_ how has she not tasted one of these before? She doesn't bother to hold back the moan that escapes as an unexpected helping of whipped cream accompanies the chocolate and coconut, and she suddenly understands exactly how Henry seemed to practically swallow the damn thing whole.

She's barely finished the first before she reaches for the second and she's somewhat disappointed to see she'll only have two left when this one is gone. "Is it weird that I now want to marry your mother?"

Henry laughs at the blush colouring her cheeks. Realising she hadn't meant to voice the thought aloud only makes the question funnier to him. "No, but you probably shouldn't tell her that."

"Right, that probably wouldn't turn out in my favour." She brushes the coconut from her hands and replaces the lid of the container, opening her drawer and shoving it inside before she stands. "Come on, time for school."

* * *

 

"What is that?" David asks as he walks into her office and drops a heap of files on her desk, making himself comfortable in the chair opposite her as though he doesn't have any work to do.

She managed to resist temptation and had left the desserts safely tucked away inside her drawer until lunch time came around. She figured after three hours of steadfast resistance, she deserved to eat one of them and it was only more disappointing knowing that meant she only had one left.

It makes her think of Regina— or rather, makes her wonder if she can coerce the woman into making her more. She's perfectly willing to offer herself up as a sacrifice in exchange, assuming the path to her death involves an overabundance of soft, creamy, chocolatey goodness.

"Don't you have some forms to fill out or something?" She asks, avoiding the question altogether because she knows it will somehow lead to Regina and the conversation will find its way back to Snow, which will mean a visit from her mother in the near future who'll spend hours talking about trust and family and— a whole hope of bullshit Emma will never, ever, be in the mood to deal with. Peace apparently means nothing when it comes to being self-righteous and judgmental of the former Evil Queen, a title she still can't put to Regina, even if she had witnessed the woman ripping their son's heart from Peter Pan's chest.

No way is she opening that can of worms again.

"It's lunch time, I was just wondering if you wanted anything from Granny's," he says as he stands, knowing that he's been dismissed and slightly hurt by the fact.

Emma notices the look in his eyes and regrets her comment instantly. "I'm sorry, Dad." She uses the term knowing it makes him happy even though she still isn't quite used to referring to her parents as such. "I'm good. I've got this and I picked up a coffee on the way back from patrol, thank you for the offer though."

"Alright, I'll be back in twenty." He smiles as he comes around her desk and pecks her on the cheek before leaving for the diner. His constant affection for her is even weirder than thinking of him as her father, but she doesn't deny the warmth she feels every time he shows it.

Life is good; she has a good job, a family, friends, and a place to call home.

Looking down at the drawer with a smile, she knows she also has a kind of but not really nemesis who bakes her apology desserts. She chuckles once more at the thought. She doubts Regina has the slightest inkling she'd create a monster when she thought to share her baked goods with the Sheriff.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina looks up from her book a second before the doorbell chimes, her skin prickling as her magic simmers beneath the surface. She smiles at the sound of Henry's footsteps pounding down the stairs to answer it and she doesn't bother to warn him about checking to see who it is, knowing it will be his other mother. She can hear their muffled voices coming through the door to her study and she places the book upon the table beside her, then stands and walks across the room before either of them got it in their heads to step foot into her sanctuary without an invitation.

"Miss Swan." she says as she exits the room into the foyer, inwardly smirking as her voice seems to startle the blonde who spins around to face her.

"Uh hey." Emma holds out the container she hadn't been able to find time to return in the past three days. "Sorry it took so long for me to bring this back to you, and thanks.. again."

"You're welcome, again." Even though it had to be - at least - the fourth time Emma had thanked her, the smile Regina gives her is a genuine one as she takes it from her hands.

Henry watches their interaction curiously, still unsure whether their tolerance of one another is for his benefit or for another reason entirely. Both of them seem happy enough - as far as he can tell - which is why, after an awkward silence that lasts a few seconds too long for his liking, he dispels it with a question. "Hey Mom, can Ma stay for dinner?"

Her instinctive response is to say no but when she glances at Emma, she can see the discomfort and genuine surprise, and knowing this hadn't been planned is enough to soften her. "Well, Miss Swan? Do you think you could stand my company long enough to join us for dinner?"

Emma chuckles. "You're kidding right? For your cooking, I'd handcuff myself to your wrist and throw away the key."

Amused and somewhat flattered by her response, Regina teases. "That would perhaps be more effective if neither of us possessed magic, dear."

"Mmm good point." Not to mention with her magic being wonky as of late, the possibility of one of them ending up handless is a convincing reason not to tempt fate any further than they already are, being friendly and all – none of which is she going to mention aloud.

"Henry, why don't you take Miss-"

"Emma." he corrects before she can finish her sentence.

Regina raises a hand as she notices Emma open her mouth, whether to reprimand him for interrupting his mother or to state her acceptance of the reference she's unsure, but as she wants to at least make an attempt to get along with the blonde, she's willing to acquiesce and drop the formality. "Why don't you take Emma into the Den while I check dinner."

Whatever else the concession will mean for her, nothing would compare to the smile that lights up Henry's face when she calls Emma by name. It appears as though that simple act of compromise is a monumental step to him on her path to redemption and – perhaps it is, she thinks. She briefly presses her palm to his cheek, offering up a smile to the both of them before she relinquishes the moment and wanders off to the kitchen without another word.

* * *

Emma groans as she drops back down to the sofa, having managed to drag herself from the dining table where Regina had fed her the greatest meal she had ever had the pleasure of gorging herself on. Most people, when they look at a chicken, they think - throw it in the oven for a few hours, maybe toss in a few potatoes to roast, boil some mixed vegetables and voilà, dinner is served and no one cares that the meat is dry because they're too busy shoving the half-ass meal into their gaping maws.

But not Regina, oh no.

Chicken stuffed with lemon and rosemary, nestled in a dish of onions, carrots, garlic - even celery which Emma is generally not at all fond of. When Regina cooks, even something as simple as chicken, it's five-star Gordon Ramsay style quality. He would drown in his tears of joy if he ever had the chance to sample her cooking, Emma proclaimed halfway through dinner that Regina is definitely the Jamie Oliver of Storybrooke, even going so far in saying she put Snow White to shame – that comment alone had Regina beaming with the biggest smile, even Henry grinned at that one.

"I warned you you'd regret that third helping." Regina smiles as she passes her a glass of cider and sits down right beside her, still feeling the elation from Emma's overabundant praise.

Emma accepts the drink and another groan escapes as her body protests having to move at all, nevermind lifting her entire arm all at once. "The only thing I regret is not being able to eat more. Now let me die in peace, woman."

The atmosphere surrounding them is relaxed and Regina finds that she's actually enjoying the evening, specifically the part where an overdramatic blonde complains because her eyes are bigger than her stomach.

Dinner and a show, her mind muses.

"If you plan to die right there, I hope you don't have anything against cremation." she elaborates at Emma's curious stare, her tone teasing. "It's much easier to gather ashes than it is to lift dead weight, even more so considering said weight includes all that food you just consumed."

Shrugging, Emma shifts and tries to get into a more comfortable position while keeping her agonised moaning to a minimum, the way Regina watches her with amusement lets her know she isn't succeeding too well in that endeavor. "Burial, cremation - What do I care, I'll be dead."

"Are you two fighting again?" Henry interrupts as he walks into the Den, his shoulders hunched and looking far less excited than he had been before Regina sent him to get ready for bed.

"Of course not!" Emma shakes her head but it's Regina who makes the exclamation, with a vehemence that makes both Henry and his blonde mother look at her with shocked expressions.

She hides her blush from Emma by turning fully to Henry, more comfortable in showing her embarrassment to her son rather than the woman who is supposed to be her enemy. "Have you decided which movie you want to watch?" she asks while feigning ignorance to the way he is curiously looking between the two of them.

"Um." he starts, his eyes dropping to the floor as he realises he's forgotten what he'd chosen before coming down the stairs. He scratches his head, then glances back up at them with a frown. "Maybe Ma can pick something?"

Seeing the confusion and exasperation on his face, Emma looks to Regina with her eyebrow raised and receives a permissive nod from the brunette who looks just as baffled by their son's behaviour as she is. "Sure kid, what are my choices?"

He points to a large cabinet in the corner, the frown still present on his face. She almost wants to ask what's bothering him because everything is starting to feel weird again but she doesn't, instead choosing to push herself off the couch and walk over to rummage through the cabinet for a movie. She lets out an impressed, "Woah." as she opens the doors to an extensive collection of DVDs, distracted briefly by the thought that they could open their own video store.

She turns to them, voicing the thought and the two brunettes chuckle at her awed expression. They sound a little awkward but seem to be composing themselves with time, so she flashes them a small smile and goes back to her search. When she realises the cabinet is in alphabetical order, she immediately looks to D and releases an excited squeal in the back of her throat, snatching Despicable Me 2 from the shelf and tossing it to Henry.

A grin spreads across his face when he sees what she's chosen. "This is the one I wanted to watch." he says as he moves to put the DVD in the player.

"Then why didn't you just say that?" she asks as she reclaims her place on the cushion next to Regina. As their knees are no more than an inch from brushing together, she knows she's closer than she had been but since Regina appears oblivious to the fact, she chooses to lean back and not bother extending the space between them.

"I forgot." he mumbles, passing his brunette mother the remote before making himself comfortable in Emma's lap without so much as asking, not that she minds.

"Seriously? You put all that tension in the room because you had a brain fart?" Emma teases, jabbing a finger into his side which causes a high-pitched shout of protest before he dissolves into a fit of giggles as she continues poking.

Regina watches them both with amusement, feeling unusually warm despite it being another causing Henry to laugh the way that he is. She supposes it has a lot to do with the person being Emma, having accepted the woman is now unequivocally part of their lives. He isn't just her son anymore and while there is still a light pang in her chest that accompanies the thought – if there are to be more moments like this, then she knows the feeling will pass in time. She allows them a few more minutes, smiling as Henry begs for Emma to stop while Emma pretends she can't hear him pleading between his bouts of laughter.

When he seems to be on the verge of tears, Regina clears her throat and somehow keeps a straight face when they immediately stop to look at her with wide-eyed surprise. Patting them both on the cheek, she sits back and presses play on the remote as she says, "It's time to watch the movie, children."

* * *

As the movie ends and the credits roll, Regina turns her head to the side as it remains against the back of the couch and she looks upon the two beside her, both of them snoring softly after falling asleep somewhere around the last twenty or so minutes of the movie. Her eyes drift to the clock above the fireplace and she sees that it's only just gone nine pm, a reasonable time for Henry to be in bed – she figures being overfed and downing four glasses of her cider is what caused Emma to follow his example.

Part of her doesn't want to get up, doesn't want to disturb either of them because they look so peaceful – so she sits there. She loses time instead, smiling whenever they twitch together. She finds that she's thankful for Emma in this moment, thankful because for the entire time that they've been back from Neverland, Henry hasn't had a single night of sleep that wasn't plagued with bad dreams and as he lays unconscious against Emma's chest, she thinks that tonight, he might.

The thought doesn't surprise her, after all Emma is the Savior. She slew a dragon, has saved the Evil Queen countless times, woke their son with True Love's kiss and convinced the Lost Boys to turn on Pan - who's to say that her powers can't vanquish nightmares too. It causes an entirely different ache within her chest, one she isn't quite sure she understands but one that is there nonetheless.

When Emma suddenly snorts in her sleep, it forces Regina out of her trance and her breath hitches in her throat. It's a sound that would have made her laugh at any other time, but there's an odd sensation on her thigh and when she looks down, she can see the faint golden glow surrounding the hand that rests there. She has no idea how long its been there but it's the magic seeping into her skin, worming its way through her body that is the cause of her rising panic.

"Emma." she says it gently, trying not to startle the blonde or wake their son but it's too quiet and the feeling is spreading, It doesn't hurt, but she knows all too well how something that seems nice can change, morph into something that causes unimaginable amounts of pain. She wouldn't consider it a capability of Emma's but the blonde is asleep and there's no telling how uncontrollable her magic is while she isn't conscious of it.

Her hand hovers above the one on her thigh and she can feel the warmth emanating from the glow, she stares at it in wonder as the golden hue alters slightly with purple when her own magic responds and they entwine.

"What are you doing?" Regina startles at the husky voice and her eyes quickly dart to Emma, finding the emerald-green gazing at her beneath hooded lids. The question didn't sound worried or angry, in fact it sounded curiously intimate and with that thought, Regina snatches her hand away and stands abruptly.

"You need to get better control of your magic, Miss Swan." Regina snaps, reverting back to the familiarity of anger and referring to Emma using her last name without meaning to as all that magical warmth drains from her body.

Emma seems to wake fully then and her eyes widen. "Oh shit, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen asleep, I'll uh.." she looks down at their son in her lap and has to resist the smile it evokes, afraid that it might upset Regina further. "I'll carry him upstairs to bed for you and then I'll get going."

Before Regina can even consider addressing the misunderstanding, Emma is already brushing passed with a comatose Henry cradled within her arms and in an entirely Emma-like move, Regina drops back down to her seat as she inwardly curses herself for the way she reacted.

Lost in a cycle of trying to justify and berate herself at the same time, she misses hearing Emma come back downstairs and had it not been for her red leather jacket draped over the arm of the couch, Emma wouldn't have diverted off the path to the front door to re-enter the Den where she pauses in the doorway to take in Regina's empty stare and pale expression.

"Regina?" Her name draws her out of her mind to find those emerald eyes once again looking back at her as Emma kneels to the side of her legs.

"I'm sorry." the apology slips from Regina's lips without thought and she can see the effect of it as soon as it happens.

Emma smiles as the reason dawns her and she hopes that it conveys her forgiveness and understanding. Her affection for the woman had grown substantially in the last few hours, she isn't willing to let a tiny little hiccup in their night ruin what had fast become one of her favourite days in the twenty-nine years of life. "It's okay."

But it isn't, not for Regina and she shakes her head with a sigh. "I wanted to try for us to get along and we were, it makes Henry happy we can spend time together without fighting in front of him but then I went and ruined it like I always do."

She's being ridiculous and Emma thinks it's adorable but she can't stand to see Regina freaking out like she is, so she grabs the fidgeting hands from the brunette's lap and squeezes them lightly. "I understand that sometimes you might fall back into someone who gets angry at me and snaps instead of telling me what I did wrong, you might slip and call me Miss Swan instead of Emma or you might insult me for no other reason than because it amuses you."

Seeing that she has Regina's full attention, Emma shrugs her shoulders and continues. "I honestly don't care. I'll go away and give you time to calm down, maybe you'll tell me what I did or maybe you won't, either way the only thing I care about is the fact you're making an effort. It won't always be like today, but I won't stop trying and not just for our son either – but for you and for me. Okay?"

Regina nods, unable to speak due to the overwhelming and confusing things she's feeling, which Emma seems to understand because she gives her hands another squeeze before she stands and releases them.

Retrieving her jacket, Emma slips it on and looks down at the brunette who's staring at the floor. "Don't worry so much, Regina." she presses a finger to the underside of her jaw and tilts her head back. "You can talk to me, I'll always listen even when you're mad at me."

When Regina remains silent, Emma gives her one last smile before she turns to leave, missing the slight upturn of red lips as she departs the mansion.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma groans her frustration as the incessant ringing of her phone awakens her and refuses to end so that she can go back to sleep. She rolls over, not bothering to open her eyes as she grabs her phone from the bedside table and puts it to her ear. "If you're not dying, then I highly suggest calling back later."

There's a soft chuckle on the other end, "Henry did warn me that you weren't much of a morning person."

Her eyes snap open at the sound of the all too familiar husk of Regina's voice and she's suddenly more alert than she even thought possible. Holding the phone away from her, she clears the sleep from her own voice with a soft cough before she speaks into the phone. "Hey, is there something I can do for you?"

She cringes at the way her voice went from moody to almost entirely cheerful and although Regina doesn't call attention to it, she does have that amused lilt to her tone now as she teases. "Are you sure you don't want me to call back? I'm not currently in the process of dying."

"No no, uh, what's up?" Emma looks to the clock by her bed and cringes when she sees it's only just gone six-thirty. Part of her wants to cry at the loss of a whole two hours of sleep but she pushes the desire aside and rises from her bed, resigning herself to the fact she'll be starting her day at the same time as all the other nutjob citizens of Storybrooke.

"Henry suggested that he and I go to Granny's this morning for breakfast and I -" there's a pause, before she corrects herself. "He suggested that I invite you along, if you're feeling up to it..."

The invitation is unexpected but not unwelcome and Emma smiles, already forgiving the brunette for waking her at such an ungodly hour. With as much nonchalance as possible, she accepts and pretends not to have noticed Regina's minor slip. "Sure I'll join you, what time?"

* * *

Emma dashes inside the diner with two minutes to spare, blowing into her hands as she tries to warm them after they'd gone numb from the cold. She really needed to remember to buy a new pair of gloves, stupid winter weather. "Why couldn't she curse everyone to somewhere warm, like California? I'm not cut out for dealing with snow."

When Red snickers, the reason doesn't register immediately and she thinks maybe it's because Regina has already arrived. Her eyes quickly take in her surroundings, the joke only dawns on her when she realises neither mother nor son are present and she shakes her head at Red with an amused huff. "Not what I meant, but accurate."

The bell above the doors sounds a few seconds later and before she can move out of the way, Regina takes the opportunity to be her usual, snarky self. "You make a better wall than a door, Miss Swan."

Emma spins on the brunette with a mock glare and feigns offense. "Are you calling me fat?"

Regina manages to hold back her laugh but before she can respond, Red interrupts the playful moment, mistaking it for something else entirely. "Now now ladies, this is a family diner. If you're going to argue, take it outside."

A chuckle escapes Regina's resistance when she notices Red watching them, clearly confused by the three of them making their way over to the same booth and sitting down together. She flashes the waitress a mysteriously wicked smile before she turns her attention to Emma, who sits across from her making comical faces at their son. "Really Miss-"

"Emma." both the blonde and their son interrupt, reminding her of the instance in the foyer yesterday.

Regina sighs, rolling her eyes and pretending to be annoyed by the correction. "Shall we order or would you two like to continue competing for Storybrooke's Immaturity award?"

Henry giggles as Emma juts out her lower lip in what Regina would consider to be an adorable pout, if she were the kind of person who thought of such things in that way. She shakes her head and narrows her eyes at the blonde. "Order, before I start to regret inviting you to join us."

Emma's face scrunches, not liking the thought of that but Regina slipping twice in a single day is just too much for her to ignore. "I thought it was Henry's idea."

There's a moment where they hold a silent staring competition, Emma's gaze challenging while Regina seems to be attempting to set her on fire with the power of her mind. Emma sort of wants to laugh at the thought, because the brunette could actually do it and it's hilarious and somewhat terrifying at the same time. Before either of them can give in to the other though, Henry dives straight in to their moment and shocks them both. "Mom only said that because she didn't think you'd come if you knew she wanted you to."

Regina's head snaps to him, her mouth agape and unable to refute the claim because she'd be lying and she promised she wouldn't. She's proud of him because she knows he's well aware that he just risked her anger but she can't help feeling a little betrayed by it also, so it's a mix of both when she regains her ability of speech. "You're grounded."

Henry pouts and she stares him down so that his only other option is to turn to Emma in an attempt to get her on his side but she chuckles, shaking her head as she sides with Regina instead. "You deserve it, kid – that was just wrong."

Being grounded has never been all that bad of an experience. It meant he got to stay home with his mother, he wouldn't have to make up excuses for not going over to someone's house after school because he preferred spending time with her and he had plenty of books to keep himself occupied when she's busy filling out paperwork.

Rather than continue with his charade by slumping into his seat as they both were expecting, he simply shrugs his shoulders. "Can we order now? I'm hungry."

Emma studies him. "That's it?" she raises her eyebrow. "You're not going to try to charm your way out of it?"

He shrugs again. "You're the easy one, if you're on her side then I don't have a chance to convince her to change her mind, so what's the point." he snatches a menu to hide his smile behind as she continues eyeing him with suspicion.

While hidden from the blonde, Regina could see it clearly and she brushes a hand over his head as her heart warms with affection for him. She couldn't be certain, of course - but she had a feeling his lack of complaint had to do with his strange attachment to her since she'd cast the protection spell on his heart.

It would have worried her that he seemed to shy away from everyone else after Neverland, except Archie assured her that it was a perfectly normal reaction for someone who'd been through the kind of traumatic experience that he had and that eventually he would grow out of needing to be around her as much, so she enjoys it while it lasts.

"You know, I don't think I understand this." Emma says after Red leaves to give Granny their orders.

When Regina and Henry look to the blonde with curious expressions, she continues. "This coming to Granny's for breakfast." she looks to Regina. "You have tasted your cooking, right?"

Her meaning immediately obvious, Regina chuckles and fails to prevent the blush that spreads across her cheeks. Rather than draw attention to it though, Emma merely smiles and turns to Henry as he responds to her comment. "It's not fair that Mom should cook all the time."

Emma nods and her smile widens at the way Regina looks at him in that moment, the love she has for him is so obvious that Emma can't believe the way people still treat her most of the time. "See now I feel like a thoughtless jerk, you and your eleven-year old self being all considerate and logical."

* * *

"I don't want to do this, Ma." Henry whines as they head towards the Charming Residence. It's the first time he's had dinner with them since he moved back in with Regina, a fact her mother still complains about, constantly trying to pressure Emma into changing her mind and taking him back.

She can understand his hesitation, especially after the way David and Snow treated Regina the second they were all safely back in Storybrooke. Regina returned to being an outcast, despite everything she did and once again, Henry had been stolen from her and whisked away with his biological family.

Emma hadn't known about it at first, having been dragged away from everyone by Hook and Neal because they thought it more important that she choose between the two of them, rather than have a moment of peace to herself. Neither of them expected her to turn around and tell them both to shove it, that she wasn't interested in either of them before she stormed off to look for her son.

When she found him, sitting at the bottom of the stairs to her parents apartment crying, it took her some time to calm down before she stopped shouting at her parents. She lost it as soon as he told her that he said he wanted to see Regina, only they ignored him and told him he needed to be with his family, not realising that was exactly what he'd been asking for. Henry was their kid and neither Snow nor Charming had any right to decide anything, something she made quite clear to the both of them before she stormed out of their apartment, dropping him off with Regina before she went to find another place to live.

They continue their walk in silence until they reach the apartment building where she stops him with a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry if you feel like I'm forcing you to do this. What they did to you was wrong, the way they treated you.."

She comes to stand in front of him and strokes his cheek as he bites his lower lip, she can see the tears in his eyes and all she wants to do is turn around, run, take him back to Regina but she knows that isn't the right thing to do. "It sucks, they had no right to do that and I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop them."

"I know your Mom makes you feel safe and that's all you want right now, but these are your grandparents kid and no matter what their past actions show, they love you and just want you to be happy."

Running her hands through his hair, she clasps the back of his neck and pulls him in for a hug, reassuring him as he clings tightly to her. "We go in there, let them see how much good it does that you're with your Mom. I won't let them bad mouth her and we'll leave if it's too much for you, alright?"

When she feels his nod against her chest, she withdraws from the embrace and takes his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze before they ascend the stairs together, both of them feeling just as nervous as the other with not knowing how the night will turn out.

They don't have to wait long to find out. As soon as the door swings open, they're face to face with Snow White who ushers them inside, seemingly into another dimension as the apartment has been transformed into something that resembles a scene from Mrs Doubtfire, or maybe some jolly Christmas type movie where the family is really close and – lets just say Emma would throw herself out of the window if it weren't for Henry and that stupid speech she'd given him on the street a few minutes ago.

It's painstakingly obvious what Snow is trying to do and she only hopes that Charming hadn't been too excited to help with this ridiculous, manipulative attempt to draw them back home. She hated to think she might actually have to stop liking him, which she most definitely would if he was stupid enough to agree that this was a good idea.

Her fears are put to rest when she looks to where he stands in the kitchen, his face sincere and sympathetic to her nauseated expression as he mouths the words, "I'm sorry." she flashes him a small, forgiving smile while removing her coat and passes it to her mother who rushes to her side as though she were a small child, incapable of hanging it up herself.

She immediately makes her way over to her father, pulling open the cupboards, needing something to drink if she was expected to survive what she already considers her worst nightmare. She pauses when David nudges her with his elbow, handing her the beer he'd been nursing when she entered and with a grateful nod, she downs the whole thing.

While it wasn't whiskey or bourbon, it did take the edge off and it also meant she'd be able to walk when the night was over; neither she nor Henry would be forced to stay because of her own stupidity.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, why don't you both take your seats and we'll bring it out to you." Snow says as she wanders into the kitchen, completely oblivious to the way David stares at his daughter, practically pleading with his eyes for her not to lash out.

With a growl that is only audible to her father, Emma shakes her head and moves to the table, ruffling Henry's hair as she takes the seat next to him and tries her damnedest not to launch herself out of the chair, grab her son and make a run for it. She knows that she's overreacting and that no matter what Snow tries, she is the one that will decide how the night will end.

If what she thinks her mother is attempting is right, then she knows it won't be a pleasant end. For the first time in almost two years, having her own apartment again has been a blessing and Henry is a lot happier now than he has been since she arrived in Storybrooke. The sooner everyone else accepted it, the better off they'd all be.

"So Henry.." Snow starts as she sits down and David walks the table, heaping their plates with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. "How is school?"

He feels Emma pat his knee beneath the table, urging him to at least try to make small talk and he shrugs, muttering a "Fine," before focusing all his attention on the food in front of him.

His soft sigh draws Emma's gaze and when she looks down at their plates, she realises they'll be having chicken for the second night in a row. She imagines her own feelings right about now are mirroring his and she leans over to whisper in his ear. "Just for tonight, kid."

"Is something wrong?" Snow looks at them with worry in her eyes but Emma just shakes her head.

"Everything's fine." Emma dismisses and changes the subject. "This looks great by the way."

Silence descends over them as they all dig into their meal, broken only by the sounds of cutlery and the occasional glass being put down. Had Snow not made it a point to stare at Emma every few minutes, she could almost relax and pretend she's anywhere that isn't an awkward family dinner.

"How does it feel living with Regina again, Henry?" Snow suddenly asks and already the air begins to fill with tension. For now, Emma figures the question is innocent enough and chooses not to interfere, neither forcing Henry to answer or suggesting the topic be avoided.

Henry pauses his fork halfway to his mouth and looks directly across the table at Snow, his expression impassive as he replies. "It feels great. Living with my mother, in our home." his emphasis on mother and home is clear, at least to Emma and possibly David who appears to be trying to become one with the chicken on his plate as he avoids looking at anyone.

Incapable of simply enjoying the quiet, Snow speaks up again after a minute or two. "I heard you two were at the Diner this morning."

"Three." Emma corrects and she knows it was the right thing to do when Henry flashes her a genuine smile.

"So it's true? You're spending time with her as well?"

Emma sighs, wiping her mouth with a napkin before she tosses it down on the table and gives Snow her utmost attention, not at all hungry anymore. "Yes, I'm spending time with Regina."

Snow frowns as though Emma had just handed her a complicated puzzle to solve. "Why?"

"Because I can. Because I want to. Because I like spending time with her and our son." Emma throws out her reasons. She isn't asking for validation for them by posing them as questions because they aren't, everything she had just said is the truth. It was strange to admit them so freely, especially in front of her mother but it was also uplifting - not pretending to spare someone else's feelings, not making up excuses to hide behind.

The only time she's ever seen such a smile on Henry's face is when Regina surprises him by doing something unexpected, something good, something she isn't asked to do but simply does because it makes her happy and because she knows it will also make him happy.

"How could you?" their moment is broken by the question, along with the scraping of Snow's chair against the floor as she stands and glares down at the both of them.

Everything after that happens in slow motion. The way Snow is looking at her son flicks a switch somewhere inside Emma and she can feel the exact moment her magic surfaces but before she can tamper it and push it back down, something explodes behind her and they're all suddenly standing around the table, their eyes wide with shock.

Then everything returns to normal time and in less than a minute, Emma guides Henry over to the door, ignoring the sobbing coming from her mother and the sound of her father's voice as he tries to soothe her. She grabs their coats and they both hurry to put them on before they exit the apartment, not bothering to look back at the chaos they leave behind.

* * *

Neither of them speak until they turn down Mifflin street and really, it's not so much talking as it is Henry suddenly breaking out into a fit of laughter. Emma can't help smiling at the sound of it, but she does look at him with confusion and a mild fear that this is what will end up being the cause of her son's admittance into a psychiatric ward.

God knows why it hasn't happened already, what with the curse and finding out he's related to a bunch of Fairytale Characters, raised by the Evil Queen then whisked off to Neverland where he discovers Peter Pan isn't the nice guy the story books make him out to be and he's really his great-grandfather trapped in the body of a teenager who wants to kill him and steal his heart.

Fuck our lives, Emma thinks with a shake of her head.

When they reach the mansion, the front door is open before they even make it up the path and Regina is staring at Henry because he's still laughing like a crazy person. She looks to Emma with her eyebrow raised, "How was dinner?"

Emma opens her mouth to respond but the laughter stops and Henry answers for her instead. "Ma got angry and blew up the fancy toaster that Snow bought to replace the last one Ma broke, it was awesome!"

"Ah." Emma says as understanding comes to her. "That's why you were laughing like a deranged lunatic."

He nods and Regina smirks. "That bad?"

Emma shrugs. "Probably worse, we kind of fled after that."

Deciding she wants to hear the story, Regina steps back from the door and motions for them to enter. "It's freezing out here, both of you come inside."

"Uh, I thought I'd just drop him off and head home." Emma says as she backs away, not wanting to intrude since she had already spent so much time with them lately.

"Nonsense, I made far too much dessert for Henry and I to eat alone." Regina can see she still wants to resist and she sighs. "Emma.."

"Come on, Ma – Mom was making cake this morning." Henry shouts from inside the house.

Emma takes a step forward, "What kind of cake?"

Regina grins, knowing they had her and it probably didn't even matter what sort of cake it was. "Banana, with chocolate icing."

Groaning, Emma walks up the stairs and through the door, muttering as she passes Regina. "I am so going to get fat."


	4. Chapter 4

" _Miss Swan, if you don't behave then I'm afraid I'm going to have to send you to bed without dessert." Regina purrs, pressing herself back so that her ass grinds against Emma's crotch._

_Emma hums her approval into Regina's ear, slipping her hands beneath the apron covering the otherwise naked brunette in her arms and raking blunt nails across a taut stomach. "How 'bout sending me to bed with a different kind of dessert."_

_Regina turns in Emma's arms, forcing the hands around to her back where they immediately drop to encase firm cheeks, squeezing as Emma uses her hold to pull them more tightly against one another and captures Regina's moan as their mouths fuse together in a searing kiss._

Emma wakes with a start, disoriented by the fragments of the dream still etched within her thoughts. Her confusion increases tenfold when she opens her eyes to the unfamiliar surroundings, her mind fighting her every step of the way as she tries to make sense of something, anything to explain where she is because she is most definitely not in her apartment where she should be.

It's only when she sits up that she notices the scent of burnt wood that assaults her sense of smell and her eyes quickly dart around the room, attempting to find the source while her head remains content within its sleep-induced haze where explicit images play on a continuous loop.

Growling, Emma shakes her head in the hope that it will dislodge the thoughts but it's only when her eyes land on the scorch mark marring the back wall of the room that her brain decides this is the perfect moment to awaken fully, reminding her she had stayed the night at the mansion and that she was now in some serious shit for vandalizing Regina's guest bedroom.

She isn't sure how long she sits there, staring at the damage she'd caused while unconscious as she tries to come up with ways to explain it to the woman who is more than likely going to kill her and then end up lynched for it, leaving Henry to be raised by the two idiots even though Emma's death will be completely justified.

Sighing, she stands from the bed and rubs at her temple where a dull throb has made itself known, no doubt from all the cider she'd been plied with the night before. She remembers that being the reason Regina insisted she stay, so she makes a mental note to thank her for that if she somehow escapes her violent execution.

Her stomach grumbles loudly and she chuckles as she pats it fondly. "You won't be hungry for long, we're about to be brutally murdered." she says and bends over to retrieve her boots, which seem to be the only thing she managed to remove while drunk before she passed out on the insanely comfortable bed.

Once she has them back on, she makes her way from the room, throwing one last glance at the wall and cringing. Shoulders slumped and looking more pitiful than ever, Emma wanders into the kitchen where Henry is stuffing his face with pancakes and Regina is sipping what could only be coffee from an outrageously large mug.

"Morning Ma!" Henry shouts, drawing a groan and wince from the blonde.

"Do you always look like this is the morning or is this the Savior with a hangover?" Regina asks, sounding positively amused by Emma's miserable appearance.

Emma drops down on to the only other stool available at the counter, which just so happens to be across from Regina. She shakes her head and sighs, here goes nothing. "This is how I look when I have to tell you something I'm pretty sure you'll be mad at me for."

"Oh?" Regina's expression turns curious as she continues to sip at her coffee.

"Before I confess, I should probably tell you that ever since we returned from -" she pauses and looks to Henry, not wanting to bring up any painful memories for him but he shrugs and ducks his head, signalling that it was fine for her to continue. "- Neverland, my magic has been acting strangely and sometimes it.. does things that I have no control over."

"Let me guess, one of those things happened while you were asleep." Regina offers, not too worried about it as the house is still standing and hasn't crumbled around them. She's been wondering about Emma's magic ever since their movie night.

Emma nods. "I think I may have conjured a fireball and thrown it at the wall." she braces herself for the shriek she's sure to come, or maybe Regina's own fireball directed at her head.

Rising from her seat, Regina moves over to the cupboards and pulls out another coffee mug, filling it before placing it in front of the blonde as she says, "I assume the bedroom is still intact and isn't burning as we speak."

Confused, Emma glances between the steaming cup of coffee and the brunette as her mind tries to convince her this isn't a trick where Regina is lulling her into a false sense of security before providing her with a slow, painful death.

She jumps when Henry kicks her leg and she realises there had actually been a question asked of her and Regina's words finally register. "Uh, the wall took some damage but aside from that? It's.. fine?"

Removing a plate of pancakes from the oven, Regina places them next to Emma's coffee and pushes the syrup across the counter before she sits back down. "That can easily be repaired. I think we might want to deal with your problem before something worse occurs, but we can talk about that later."

When Emma opens her mouth to say something, Regina waves dismissively and picks up the newspaper. "Eat your breakfast." she smirks as Emma's mouth snaps shut and she complies with the command without argument.

* * *

Emma got a call from Regina that afternoon when she went back to her apartment, with an offer to teach her magic and a warning against telling anyone due to people still looking for the smallest of reasons to hang the former Evil Queen. It wasn't the kind of warning Emma needed, considering all the calls she continued to receive throughout each day with people panicking whenever Regina so much as sneezed in public. They used to annoy her, but after a while she pretended to take the callers seriously merely to amuse herself.

A habit that to this day causes her father conflict, a daily struggle where he's caught between wanting to laugh at her antics and feeling as though he should scold her. She knows, they've talked about it on numerous ocassions.

It's been a week since that day, a week that has left Emma feeling useless, frustrated, tired and ready to give up on the idea entirely. The only thing they've accomplished so far is a list of brand, spanking new insults to throw at each other while Regina tries to make her angry enough to do something useful – the only thing that garnered was a well-placed fireball to one of Regina's rose bushes. Which would have been a good thing, if the spell wasn't one of the simplest and required the least amount of effort to cast. Also, setting fire to the garden only served to release Regina's anger and that was never a good thing.

And now here they were.

Part of her wishes she could switch places with Henry because she's fairly sure she would rather be taking a maths test than learning to teleport, at least then if she failed it wouldn't mean the potential doom of the town she lives in due to a spontaneous magical explosion created by none other than the supposed Savior.

"Don't!" Emma holds out her hand when Regina tries to move closer and before she can say anything, Emma starts rambling. "I know I need to do this and I know you're trying to help but if you come any further then there's a good chance I'll end up burning your house down and you'd kill me."

She stops to take a breath, squeezing her eyes shut as she continues because she doesn't want to read whatever feelings appear in Regina's eyes or the defensive scowl as her words tumble out of her. "I know fuck all about magic but I do know that whatever is going on with it right now – it's tied to you. I don't know why or what it means, I just..."

Shaking her head, her hand drops to her side and she opens her eyes as she takes a step back, breathing a sigh of relief as she feels the intensity of her magic lessen. "I don't want to hurt you so whatever you need to say or do just.. do it from over there."

"It does explain the night you fell asleep on my couch." Regina paces as she speaks, her mind concentrated on attempting to understand rather than the bewildered look appearing on Emma's face. Suddenly she stops to face the blonde, a smirk curling her lips with a glint of curious amusement in her eyes. "What were you dreaming of, I wonder."

Emma's eyes widen as images flash through her mind of all the possible things that could have been involved in whatever dream she had that night, the brunette starring as lead role in each and every one of them. "Uh.."

"Oh my dear Sheriff, I had no idea." Regina grins mischievously, her tone indicating that she did in fact, have a very clear idea. Not that they had ever hidden their attraction from one another, more. - refused to acknowledge its existence beyond the privacy of their own bedroom doors.

She sighs when her only response is in the form of the blonde folding her arms in what she knows is a protective gesture. The woman could be so confident when she wanted to piss Regina off, yet closes up as tight as a clam after a little sexual teasing.

"You can be such an insufferable twit some times." she says with a roll of her eyes.

Ignoring the frown her comment receives, Regina directs them back to the lesson while walking toward her. "We've been over this; magic is emotion and in your case, rather than anger, yours seems to feed from your desire." she shakes her head. "Don't interrupt and don't deny it. Accept it. If you don't then you're never going to gain control of it."

Walking behind Emma, Regina places a hand on her shoulder and waits for the blonde to relax before she continues. "For those of us with natural magical talent, the magic is a constant inside of us. It is always there, building, waiting beneath the surface to be unleashed."

"If it goes too long without release then what you're experiencing occurs." as she says this, she positions her other hand on Emma's opposite shoulder. "So Savior, embrace your trigger and -"

Before she can finish, Emma disappears in a swirl of golden smoke and Regina feels a burst of pride that confuses the hell out of her, but at the sound of the voice from behind her, she smiles and turns around.

"I did it." Emma laughs as she looks from her hands to where Regina stands. She didn't believe she could, even though she had done it once before, even after she saved the morons from the shadows in Neverland, she'd thought maybe her magic was more of an instinctual thing that would be there when she desperately needed it, she never imagined actually being able to control it.

Regina could pin-point the exact moment Emma's mood shifted from joyous surprise to confused panic. She knew as soon as those emerald eyes met hers that the lesson was over. When the smoke reappears to whisk away the blonde, she sighs heavily, uttering a single word loud enough for the blonde to hear before returning to the mansion.

"Coward."


	5. Chapter 5

_Coward._

The word reverberated through Emma's mind for days and it never once failed to anger her; enrage her really. It wasn't so much that she disagreed with the assessment, at the time it had been perhaps the most fitting label anyone could have slapped on her. She had run from a revelation without a single thought to anyone but herself, that was what cowards did.

No, it had nothing to do with the word itself; it was the unexpected pain she felt because of the one who had said it.

Not only that but she continued to prove just how true it was in the week that followed when she chose to avoid certain places for fear of running into the Mayor. She had memorised Regina's meticulous schedule a long time ago, the reason for doing so hadn't been all that obvious to her back then but it made a lot more sense now.

Reflecting on the past two years, all the things she'd done for Regina, because of Regina – the reasons behind them were all much more clear than they had been. The pointless arguments, the invasion of each others personal space every time they were near one another, the constant saving from danger and her inability to see the Evil Queen despite all of the signs.

Even the dreams that had started to plague her every night on their return from Neverland weren't strong enough to break through the walls of her denial. All Regina had to do was imply Emma's attraction to her and all of a sudden those walls were crumbling all around her.

It wasn't only the attraction that made her run, she had accepted that from the very beginning but the simple acknowledgement from Regina; that it existed, it opened the damn flood gates on her emotions.

This was far more than a simple attraction.

But no matter what she did, no matter where she went; there was always something or someone to remind her of the woman she was trying so hard not to think about.

As is the case this afternoon at the Sheriff's station.

"Yes, Mr Thomas; I am at least 99.9% positive Regina is trimming and is not in fact mutilating a corpse in her backyard with a pair of shears." Emma rolls her eyes and rubs the bridge of her nose. "No, I can't be 100% positive because, as you know, she's a former Evil Queen and it's entirely possible that she's slipped on her path to redemption and is doing the very thing you suggest."

Covering the mouthpiece, she looks to David. "These people should be thankful she cursed them. If I were a Princess in the Enchanted Forest, a majority of your subjects would have been executed for their stupidity."

"Of course I'm listening, Mr Thomas but I don't believe it's in the job description of the Sheriff to supervise someone while they're Gardening." she leans forward and bangs her head against the desk while mumbling into the phone. "Right, you complain about me neglecting my duties to the woman you're accusing of murder. Have a nice day."

"How many is that?" David asks when she hangs up the phone, his attention entirely on trying to master the art of trashcan basketball.

"That's the third one. My favourite today is when the old lady that lives across the road from her called to tell me Regina was disposing of a body while taking out the trash." she says, reaching for her jacket on the back of the chair she'd just vacated.

"Bad enough that they still think she murders people in her spare time, but now they're suggesting she's an idiot; who'd dispose of a body in broad daylight?"

David laughs while nodding his agreement before he sobers and looks at her with his father slash king-type expression that informs her of an incoming change of subject. "Honestly though Emma, when are you going to talk to your mother?"

Shaking her head, she moves toward the exit. "You agreed that I could talk about it when I was ready; and I'm not. So please, just drop it."

"It's been over a week already."

Zipping her jacket with a little more force than necessary, she turns and fixes him with a stare, her jaw set stubbornly as she responds. "It will take as long as it takes. Whether that's a week, a month or another thirty years; it'll happen when I'm ready and not before."

He raises his hands in surrender. "Alright, I promised I wouldn't push. Go, enjoy what's left of your day off and I'll see if Red or Killian are free to pick up your slack."

She grins. "Yeah right, we both know you'll call Killian first, wouldn't want your steamy bromance dying out." she laughs at the face he makes and with an overdramatic salute, she leaves the station.

* * *

Watching Regina work, Emma leans against the apple tree, her presence unannounced as of yet as she wonders how in the hell she'd remained within her delusion for so long. How could she have mistaken the tightening in her chest for anything other than what it was, the desire to be close, to march across the lawn and yank Regina from where she kneels as she tends to her garden and kiss the woman senseless.

There had always been a fire between them, she could never have denied that but she'd always mistaken it for an intense dislike of one another – not hate, because that would imply that there had been an opportunity for love.

Of course now that she thinks about it, she supposes it could have been hate after all. She was too soon broken from her denial to call anything she was feeling love, but no longer could she disregard the opportunity that is there, that always had been.

"Did you come here with a purpose, or are you here to simply ogle me?" Regina asks without so much as turning around as she continues her work. With the spell around her property still in effect, she'd known the moment Emma had arrived and could only wait so long before her impatience got the better of her.

Although Emma is surprised to be discovered, she recovers quickly and answers. "I received a complaint that you might be mutilating people with pruning shears."

Regina's head snaps around to stare at the blonde. "You cannot be serious."

Emma shrugs and her eyes slowly drift around the yard as she avoids looking at the one thing she so desperately wants to look at. "Not entirely, the complaint was real enough but it's not why I'm here."

Rolling her eyes, Regina turns back to her garden with a huff. "Do get on with it, Miss Swan."

"Really? With the formality?" even though she knows she deserves nothing more, it irks Emma now that she'd gotten used to Regina using her first name.

"Yes, _Miss Swan_." Rising from the ground, Regina removes her gloves before retrieving the shears and she brushes by the blonde on her way to the garage. "Don't think because you've suddenly grown a backbone that you can simply waltz over here and pretend nothing has changed."

Emma throws up her hands and turns to follow. "Christ Regina, I came to apologise."

Disappearing into the garage, there's a few minutes of silence before Regina reappears with a glare on her face. "Well it's a piss poor attempt, I haven't heard a single sorry come out of your mouth."

Yanking the door closed, she tries to pass the blonde once more but Emma grabs her by the wrist and spins her around. "Would you give it a rest? You were right, I'm a coward. I was buried so deep in denial that I panicked, what did you expect me to do?"

Regina's features harden further. "I expected you to act like an adult, which I suppose is my fault considering how much of a child you are." she snaps. "Now release me, before you lose your hand."

"What's the adult response to finding out you have feelings for a woman you think hates you?" Emma says before releasing her. "A woman who only tolerates you because you share a son, one who seems to get off on insulting you and making you feel like shit whenever possible."

Regina searches Emma's expression for the truth and when she realises the blonde is entirely serious, all her anger dissipates and is replaced with disbelief. "Are you completely blind?"

"Yes!" the exclamation causes Regina to recoil but Emma continues before she can recover from it.

"For two years I thought we were on opposite sides; we're meant to hate each other. Sure, I've always known I'm attracted to you, who wouldn't be? I never thought it was anything more than that and even if I did, there is no way in hell that I'd think my feelings are reciprocated."

Regina frowns. Her first instinct is to lash out, to call the woman an idiot and list all the reasons of why her feelings were not in fact reciprocated but it's a list that doesn't exist. What's more is that she finds she doesn't want to hurt Emma, she too had thought those very things herself. The Evil Queen and the Savior; they were fated to despise one another and yet Regina never really did, and now she knows Emma didn't either.

It had always been a natural response of hers; to insult, threaten, to demean anyone she thought had the chance to get beyond the walls she'd erected to protect herself. She'd spent decades perfecting a fake persona to keep everyone at arm's-length and the only one she'd ever allowed in after the curse, was Henry.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Regina's shoulders slump and she sighs. "Do you have any idea how many people would kill for you to feel something for them? Look around you, Emma; there isn't a single person in this whole town that doesn't love you."

Emma shakes her head. "They don't even know me. They think of me as their Savior, a Princess, the daughter of their King and Queen. Sure, I'm all of those things but those things aren't all of me."

"No." Regina teases, "You're also an imbecile and constant pain in my backside."

When Emma's only response is an affectionate smile, Regina rolls her eyes and turns away from her. As she walks towards the back porch, she says, "Don't look at me like that."

Trailing after her, Emma sucks on her lower lip before asking. "Like what?"

"Like I'm a puppy that you want to pick up and cuddle." she smiles when Emma chuckles, already thinking she could easily love hearing the sound on a daily basis, multiple times a day if possible.

Taking a breath, Emma decides to push her luck and silently hopes Regina isn't still feeling defensive enough to deny her. "Invite me to dinner and I'll stop."

Regina pauses her hand in the process of opening the door and faces Emma with her eyebrow raised. "Is this the reason you came to apologise? Because you missed my food?"

Emma starts to shake her head but stops to think about it. In truth, she came because she believed Regina deserved the chance to vent on her and because she really didn't like the fact they'd gone back to being nothing more than Henry's other mother. And now – well, Regina really is an awesome cook.

After a moment, she grins and slowly nods. "It may have provided me further incentive, but can you really blame me?"

"No, I suppose I can't." Regina turns back around and slides the door open. "Be a dear and go retrieve our son, then perhaps I'll consider your request."

* * *

"Ma! What are you doing here?" Henry asks as he runs toward her, his week with Regina had only started yesterday and he wasn't expecting to spend time with her for another few days, at least.

She reaches out and ruffles his hair in greeting, dodging his swats to her hand as she replies. "Your mother demanded that I come and get you in exchange for letting me stay for dinner."

"Cool! Where's your car?" he frowns as he looks around, the yellow bug no where in sight.

"Uh duh, I can be anywhere I want just by thinking about it." his eyes widen at her words and the second she holds out her hand for him, he's gripping it tightly and practically bouncing with excitement.

"Wait, how come you've never done this before?" he asks, remembering the last week and having to ride in the bug or walk everywhere they went.

She wrinkles her nose, thinking about her answer before giving it. Since her magic required accepting the things that she desired in order to control it, she'd been hesitant in accessing it because, honestly, she didn't desire much these days and the one thing she did – well, she hadn't wanted to think about it. "Let's just say this whole control thing? It's complicated and I had my reasons for not wanting to use magic but I'm over them now, so.."

Knowing she didn't really answer his question, he frowns as his mind replays the words until he can sort of understand. He may only be eleven, but he's not stupid – both of his mothers had been behaving strangely ever since Emma stopped visiting the mansion whenever he stayed over. "Is this a grown up thing?"

Emma chuckles. "Uh, it's a.. some things are private and not the sort of thing a mother discusses with her son, okay?"

While still curious, he knows there are some things that he doesn't need to know and if that changes, they'd tell him when they were ready. "Okay. Can we go now? Mom's supposed to be making meatloaf for dinner, which means sundaes afterwards."

"Woah hold up, what? Your Mom makes you sundaes?! Her Majesty, Mayor health-freak-extraordinaire Mills?"

Henry giggles but before he can say anything, they're engulfed in golden smoke and suddenly they're standing in the kitchen of his - rather annoyed looking – brunette mother.

"Miss Swan!" Regina snaps, narrowly avoiding colliding with them when she stops short of dousing them with the pot of water – which she almost drops, except Emma is much quicker than she looks.

"Uh uh, lady." Emma cuts her off as she places the pot on the stove. "All the times you've yelled at me for letting him have sugar and I find out you don't just let him have ice cream, you make him fricken sundaes with it."

Regina releases a huff of irritation and turns to their son who is, at that very moment, attempting to defuse her wrath with a pout that only works because she isn't really upset that one of their little traditions has been uncovered. "Well I see you inherited Snow White's ability to keep a secret." she says, turning the elements of the stove on before she leaves the kitchen and saunters off to her study.

Not ten minutes later, Emma sticks her head into the room, knowing that even if the door is open, she still needs an invitation to enter. "So, can I?"

Sighing, Regina finds herself rolling her eyes once more as she drawls, "Fine, Miss Swan; you can stay for dinner." she shakes her head when the blonde disappears and she hears the two of them whooping.

Idiots, she thinks.


	6. Chapter 6

Up early and all out of coffee at her apartment, Emma ambles into the diner looking like something straight out of Night of the Living Dead. She keeps her head down, avoiding eye contact with anyone who might mistake this new trend of waking up at the ass crack of dawn as a reason to assume she's now an approachable morning person.

It was Regina's fault. Whenever she needed to contact Emma for whatever reason, she'd call at a ridiculous hour of the morning to tell her what it was - even when it wasn't something immediately important that could have waited until later in the day, which was the case more often than not. Emma of course, never once complained because, let's face it, it's Regina and Emma's already completely whipped – which is ridiculous considering they haven't even so much as kissed yet.

She also suspects the wake up calls have something to do with the fact that when she went to apologise, Regina hadn't been able to hold on to her anger long enough to insult and degrade her as much as she'd planned to beforehand so, there was that.

Taking a seat at the counter, she waits for Red to wander over before she acknowledges anyone's presence and even then it's only to order a coffee for herself and Mayor. That, as Emma expects, receives a curious lift of an eyebrow but she ignores the unspoken question and goes back to pretending she's basically a walking coma patient; motionless except for the steady in and out of her chest that lets everyone know she's still breathing despite her appearance.

When Red returns, Emma pulls out what she knows is too much money and tosses it down on the counter before retrieving the two styrofoam cups.

If she had been paying attention from the moment she walked in, then she would have known that Snow White had been there the entire time. As that wasn't the case, when Emma turns to leave, she only just manages not to drop the coffees all over the floor at the sight of her mother staring from across the room and scaring the shit out of her.

The word, "Don't." plays like a mantra in her head as she shakes off the feeling of being extremely creeped out by her own mother and moves toward the door. The last thing she needs this morning is to get into an argument, considering her mood is already foul as it is, there's no telling what might happen should it get even worse.

"Can we talk?" the mantra turns into a string of seemingly endless curses, some she hadn't even known she knew, others that didn't appear to worry too much about anatomical possibilities.

Forcing her mind away from curiously colourful extent of odd vulgarity, Emma counts down from ten before looking in Snow's general direction. "In case the two coffees isn't making it obvious enough, I have somewhere else I want to be."

"Yes I heard, I hadn't realised you were the Mayor's new errand girl."

Emma gives a humorless laugh and she already regrets not simply ignoring her and leaving the diner. "Not that it's any of your business, but she doesn't even know."

She shakes her head. "But thanks for giving me yet another reason not to want to talk to you."

Without even looking, Emma knows by now that everyone else is staring at the scene they're already causing and before she can make it any worse – which she knows she could – she dismisses the little voice telling her to go ahead and do it and leaves.

It would have been nothing less than the woman deserves after twenty-eight years of abandonment, after claiming a title she has no right to. Mother, what the hell did Snow White know about raising a child. Emma hopes to whatever being will listen that her replacement won't have to deal with the sanctimonious bullshit she's had to since she broke the stupid curse.

Not far from City Hall, Emma pulls out her cellphone and dials Regina who barely lets it ring once before she answers. "Hey, I'm bringing you coffee. Tell your secretary to let me in, I don't want to make her cry again."

When she arrives a few minutes later, the secretary is nowhere to be seen and she sighs, somewhat guilty that someone actually thought it necessary to hide from her. It had been one of the first mornings, she had a hangover and to make matters worse, it had been that particular time of the month – she wasn't just cranky that day, she could have given the Evil Queen a run for her money and even that was understating it.

Regina looks up as soon as her door opens and flashes a smile that quickly turns into a frown as she takes in Emma's appearance. "You sounded a lot happier than you look."

Emma runs through a mental check-list as she places Regina's coffee on her desk, verbalising each reason for why she looks the way she does. "Still not a morning person, this is my first cup of coffee, ran into Snow in the diner and I'm feeling bad that I apparently make your secretary flee in terror before I even enter the same room as her."

"Considering the rather inventive threats and insults you threw at her for a simple misunderstanding.." she trails off with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah, I'm a big meanie." Emma slumps into a chair, sipping her coffee as she frowns. "You really need to stop waking me up so damn early."

"Since I had no part in you being awake this morning, you might like to try again." Regina sighs after taking a sip of the coffee Emma bought for her. "You're also drinking my coffee."

Emma holds the coffee out to her and she's surprised it's accepted before the right one is shoved into her hand. She looks from the cup to Regina curiously, only to shrug when an appreciative hum sounds from the brunette. "Here I was expecting some kind of lecture about germs."

"I don't think I need to worry about those, assuming you ever plan on kissing me." Regina smirks as Emma sputters and almost chokes on her coffee.

Clearing her throat, Emma chuckles. "I figured you'd at least want me to take you on a date or something."

Grimacing, Regina shakes her head. "I don't do dates."

"No rum, no dates. Got it." Seeing that it was time to go to work, Emma groans and stands, downing the last of her coffee before tossing it in the trash. "We still on for tonight?"

"Unfortunately." Regina drawls, receiving an eye roll from the blonde.

"Don't be such a sourpuss, it'll be fun." Emma winks before she disappears in a puff of smoke.

* * *

When she sees Regina next, it's around lunch time that she hears the tell-tale click clack of heels coming down the hall and even though she doesn't look up from her paperwork when the sound stops outside her office, one couldn't miss the smile that curls her lips.

"I brought you something to eat." Regina announces as she moves into the room and closes the door.

At the mention of food, Emma lowers her pen and raises her head a second before her stomach reminds her she hasn't eaten anything today, causing her to grin as she stretches muscles that have been in the same position for far too long. "Well apparently I'm hungry, so it isn't a wasted trip." she stands in order to stretch her legs as Regina situates herself on the edge of her desk.

As Regina crosses her legs, her skirt rides part way up her thigh and Emma's eyes are drawn to the movement. While she admires the newly revealed flesh; her gaze is neither unnoticed nor unappreciated by the brunette who releases a throaty chuckle that sends shivers down Emma's spine.

"Jesus, that should be illegal."

"Something wrong, Sheriff?" Regina grins widely as Emma unknowingly moves closer, green eyes now trained on a blouse with one too many buttons loose as she shakes her head.

"Are you sure you only came to bring me lunch?" Emma asks, positioning her hands on either side of the desk and trapping Regina as she leans in.

Regina swallows visibly, eyes flickering to pale lips as she licks her own. "I may have had an.. alterior motive."

Ever since this morning when she mentioned the fact they had yet to kiss, it was all Regina could think about and it showed whenever she tried to get any work done. She'd completely spaced out during her ten o'clock meeting, she signed things she had no recollection of even reading and she had to have Sarah, her secretary, field most of her calls because the mere thought of Emma's lips distracted her so thoroughly she could barely form two words together, let alone hold a conversation with anyone.

She blinks, realising Emma's mouth had been moving this entire time and she hadn't heard a single word. She isn't sure if she should ask her to repeat whatever it was but then suddenly there are lips pressing against hers and she's lost her train of thought once more as the only thing her mind seems capable of focusing on is how soft Emma's mouth is.

Emma moans at her first taste of Regina's lips and the sound only intensifies when she feels a tongue swipe her lower one, begging for an entrance she readily grants while long, tan legs wrap around her waist and pull her even closer. The action causes her hands to slip against the desk and she frantically reaches for a purchase that won't result in crushing the brunette beneath her.

Regina presses her hands against the blonde's chest as she feels herself being pushed backwards and she tightens her legs when Emma's bruising grip lands on her hips, unable to resist grinding her core against the blonde when feeling the possessiveness within her touch. Loosely clasping the back of Emma's neck with one hand, she trails the other between breasts, down buttons until it reaches rough denim and slips beneath Emma's shirt to caress warm, muscled flesh.

As fingertips stroke her stomach, Emma's hands drop to where Regina's skirt has risen even further, resting them high upon her legs while she circles the sensitive flesh of Regina's inner thighs with her thumbs.

"Emma?" Both sets of eyes snap open at the sound of Red's voice and Emma feels the smile against her lips. Before she can pull away, Regina's magic swirls around them and they disappear, reappearing in the alley across the road from the station.

With Regina trapped between her and the wall, legs still wrapped snuggly around her waist, the kiss continues until Emma can no longer hold in the laugh that forces them apart.

Lowering herself to the ground, Regina buries her head in the crook of the blonde's neck to stifle her own laughter.

When Emma recovers, she releases another breathless chuckle. "Damn." to which she feels Regina's nod of agreement against her shoulder and the light brush of lips against her pulse.

Regina lifts her head, leaning it back against the wall as their eyes meet. "I thought this would help take my mind off kissing you so I could get some work done."

"How is that working for you?" Emma grins.

With a shake of her head, Regina straightens and pushes away from the wall. She waves her hand over the both of them, returning their more respectable appearances and replies. "Not very well."

She sighs softly and leans in to kiss Emma again; this one all too brief and far less heated for either of their liking before they seperate. "Back to work, Sheriff."

* * *

Carrying a tray of what could only be described as junk food, Emma's face lights up as Regina places it in front of the blonde and their son. It had taken her a tremendous amount of begging to get Regina to allow a proper 'Game Night' with Henry involving modern technology and not silly little puzzles or boring-as-all-hell chess.

As Regina sits primly beside her, she notices Emma's smile which is fully directed at her and she blushes before looking away, unable to help the way her voice sounds entirely hypercritical when she speaks. "I cannot understand this fascination you have for video games. This is merely pointless violence between inappropriately attired, grown men."

Emma rolls her eyes at being reminded of how against the idea Regina's been from the moment she mentioned it over dinner the other night. - delicious, mouth-watering meatloaf dinner that she swears she can still taste. She doubts she'll ever get over how freaking amazing Regina is in the kitchen. Bonus for her, since she's been invited over almost every day since then. "It's wrestling, it's not like the characters are going to jump from the screen and body slam one of us, chill woman."

"Besides.." she continues before Regina can even consider being affronted at being told to _chill_. "There is a far wider selection of games for this thing, they're not all like this."

Eyes on the screen, Regina flinches at the sight of one of the men flying through the air and landing elbow first into another man's chest. She's only vaguely aware of what Emma is saying but the last few words get her attention. "Then why did you choose this one?"

Emma shrugs as she tags in Randy Orton – their son's chosen wrestler - so she has one less thing to concentrate on and she turns to Regina. "He wanted something we could both play and this is pretty much the least violent game I have."

Regina stares at her with disbelief, she'd been in the room all of five minutes and already she'd witnessed someone being bashed in the head with a steel chair before they were thrown through a table and then slammed, face first, into a concrete floor – which had been padded, until Henry's degenerate character decided to peel back the matting.

Emma could almost read the thoughts going through Regina's head in that moment and she chuckles. "Seriously, I have one game called State of Decay and the only purpose is to survive a zombie apocalypse using any means necessary; running them over with cars, beheading them with machetes, setting them on fire.."

Regina blinks and interrupts - what is no doubt an extensive list of ways in which one could murder things in this 'game' - with a question. "What on earth is a Zombie?"

"Wow." Emma laughs, forgetting for just a second that Regina isn't from the same world. "Uh it's someone who's been infected by – generally – a chemical virus, dies, then comes back to life to feed on the flesh of the living."

Blanching, Regina makes a disgusted sound in the back of her throat, which only causes Emma to chuckle again. "That is revolting."

Emma hums her agreement as her eyes flicker to the screen. "Damn kid, he's all kinds of messed up – pin him."

"But that ends the match!" Henry exclaims.

"Kind of the point there buddy. You beat 'em until you can pin 'em, then you move on to the next match. It's like a ladder, each rung means a tougher opponent until you reach the top and become the champion." Emma explains. "Even then it doesn't end, since you gotta defend your belt."

"Oh." Henry grins even as his cheeks redden in embarrassment. "Kay."

More interested than she'd care to admit, Regina leans back into the couch and watches the game unfold. Sensing the eyes on her a few minutes into the next match, she glances to the woman beside her and smiles when Emma scoots back, their shoulders touching as they both return their gaze to the screen and watch as their son beats the snot out of everyone.


	7. Chapter 7

Emma sighs as she enters her living room to find Henry once more glued to the television screen with a controller in his hand. Regina is going to kill her for getting their son addicted to video games. Walking over to the remote sitting on the coffee table, she snatches it up and within seconds the game is paused and Henry's head snaps around to stare at her as the sound disappears from his game.

"Ma!"

"Don't you ma me, you know the rules; homework first." she tosses the remote down and grabs the controller out of his hand. "I don't need another lecture from your mother, now get."

Henry sighs, shuffling himself around until his back is to the tv and he's facing the table where his homework sits; forgotten the second he dumped it there in favor of finishing his game. "Where is Mom, anyway?" he asks, looking down at his work and rolling his eyes when he notices it all revolves around the history of this world, as well as the Enchanted Forest – as if he needs to learn about places he'll never even visit.

"She said something about a meeting running late, she'll come pick you up when she's finished." Emma shrugs as she falls to the couch and, picking up the remote again, she begins the process of pointlessly channel surfing.

Being that it was her day off and she'd been avoiding going anywhere that she might run into Red, Regina had called her all of five minutes before Henry was due out of school, knowing she'd be home and asked her to pick him up. Emma didn't mind, since it meant Regina would have to drop by later – and she also got to spend more time with him, even if he is the reason she keeps getting in trouble lately.

Emma had settled on some weird, foreign game show when Henry looks up from his work suddenly. "Can we have pizza for dinner?"

She gets up from the couch when she hears knocking at her door, shaking her head and shushing her stomach as she moves to answer it. "She said she'd bring dinner with her."

Swinging the door open, she freezes at the sight of who she finds on the other side. She blinks once, twice and shakes her head again but there they still stand. "What the hell do you want?"

"Almost as charming as your father, Miss Swan."

Before she can respond, David interrupts them both. "I'm really sorry about this, Emma but your mo- Snow, insists something be done and honestly, I'm as confused about all of this as she is."

"What the f-rick are you talking about?"

"Well dearie, your parents seem to think you're under the effects of a spell and that's why you're being all cozy with our illustrious Mayor." Rumple says with a smile.

Emma turns to David, eyes narrowing as her anger surfaces "Seriously, _Dad_?"

"What are we supposed to think, Emma? Ever since we all came back from Neverland, you've treated her better than everyone else. First you blow up at us for doing what we thought was the right thing, what we thought you'd want – then you avoid us for weeks and when we finally get to have dinner with you and our grandson, you run at the first mention of Regina." he holds up his hand when she opens her mouth to respond.

"There's also the fact you've implied we should all be happy that she cursed us, you don't take complaints about her seriously when people call hoping the Sheriff will assure them that they're safe. I won't even consider what Red thinks is going on between the two of you."

She patiently waits for him to finish then steps back and holds the door open for them to enter, closing it once they're both inside. She isn't even going to bother giving him a reason for each and every one of the things he assumes is proof of there being something wrong, it was obvious that neither he nor Snow would listen, let alone believe her.

At this point, Henry has heard most of the conversation and is looking at all of them with curious eyes, his homework abandoned once again. "What's going on?" he frowns when Emma smiles at him, seeing that it lacks its usual warmth.

"Your grandparents seem to think your mother has put a spell on me."

"What? Why?" her words only serve to confuse him and his frown deepens. The only time he's ever seen his mothers use magic on each other is when one of them is running late, or when they've made out and need to fix their clothes because they don't realise he's noticed them long before they notice him; a fact he has yet to mention because he's fairly sure it's all still new to them.

Emma shrugs, sitting back down and letting David answer the question instead. "Do they not seem different to you, Henry?"

Almost immediately, the boy nods his head and smiles at the three watching him with varying degrees of interest. "Yeah, they're both happier now that they're not fighting all the time."

They all smile at his reply and it's Rumple that asks the next question. "You don't find that strange?"

"No?" Henry glances at his mother who continues to smile at him and seeing that the warmth has returned, he shakes his head and continues. "I mean, they used to fight a lot and most of the time it was about me."

He shrugs, as if it hadn't been the one thing that bothered him the most. "They love me and want whats best for me. Sometimes they couldn't agree on what that was, but now they do and they seem to get along more than they fight. Why is that a bad thing?"

When Emma opens her mouth to assure him that it isn't, both of the men pleasantly surprise her when they both respond at the same time, "It's not." but before she can assume anything, Rumple keeps talking.

"It isn't bad, but it is somewhat troubling. You see, those that are from where we-" he gestures from himself to Emma and David who are seated on the couch. "-are from, are unused to this world's view when it comes to Good and Evil. I'm ashamed to admit this, but we tend to have a hard time believing in people we once assumed were purely Evil and incapable of change."

"That's stupid." even though the three of them are inclined to agree with him, Henry doesn't notice the nod of their heads as he continues. "Mom wasn't always Evil. She saved Snow when they were kids and she was considered a good person then. If someone who is good can turn evil, why can't someone evil become good?"

"That is a perfectly valid question, my boy. Unfortunately, I doubt you'll find anyone who can answer it. It is assumed that when you start down the path of darkness, the further you travel, the thicker it gets."

Rumple walks over to the couch and taps David's leg with his cane until the man moves so that he can sit down while he tries to explain the way most people think to his grandson. "Eventually you get to a point where the darkness is so thick and suffocating that any light inside you, is extinguished and you are doomed to spend your life within, wandering blind and aimless, committing acts others deem atrocious in the hope that one day, you'll find the light again."

"Why don't they just ask for help?" Henry asks, as if it's the most obvious solution and forgetting the purpose of the conversation entirely.

"Because they're afraid."

His head instantly snaps to his mother, as she was the one the murmured response came from. "Of what?"

"They think needing help is a sign of weakness and they don't deserve to be happy because they're not strong enough to do something on their own and that, in turn, makes them angry; so the violence and acts of-" she holds up her hands and makes little air quotes with her fingers. "-evil, continue and it's an endless cycle where people start to see you in different shades of black."

"Tell me, Miss Swan; how did you escape the cycle?" Rumple asks.

Emma smiles and looks across the table at her son. "The light found me."

Knowing his daughter wouldn't clarify the whole thinking she was evil thing and unsure he even wanted to know, David tries to redirect the conversation back to where it had originally begun. "What does any of this have to do with whether Regina put a spell on her?"

Rumple gives a low chuckle. "Oh there's no spell. I would have sensed it the moment she opened the door if there were one. I don't know if you'll find this knowledge to be good or bad but it seems that your daughter merely believes in the once Evil Queen."

He looks to Emma with a mischievous grin before he adds, "I'm certain there is something more at play here but there is no dark magic involved."

* * *

Once it had been confirmed that she wasn't under the influence of Regina's magic, Emma had thrown them both out of her apartment and slammed the door on their protests. She wandered off to her room soon after and that is where she now lies on her bed, staring up at her ceiling while her son is most likely back to playing his game; homework still laying unfinished on her coffee table.

At least an hour passes in which she barely moves by the time she hears two different voices coming from the living room. When they go silent and her door opens a few minutes later, she doesn't bother redirecting her eyes to the doorway as she already knows who it will be.

"I bring food and you can't even get up to greet me when I arrive. It's rude and so very like you, Miss Swan." Regina teases as she sits down on the edge of the bed.

It has the desired effect when it brings a smile to Emma's face. "Don't have a heart attack or anything, but I don't feel all that hungry right now."

"As much as I would love to dramatically hold my hand to my chest and feign shock.." Regina pauses to smirk at the eye roll from the blonde. "Henry already told me what happened."

Emma sighs. "Of course he did."

"Should he not have?" Regina can't help sounding slightly offended at the thought Emma hadn't planned on telling her; that the insipid Charmings thought she needed to cast a spell on their daughter for them to get along with one another. She'd found it amusing when her son relayed the events, wondering what Snow and David would try to accuse her of when they find out their beloved daughter and the so-called Evil Queen are more than merely friends.

"It's not that." Emma rolls to her side and props herself up on an elbow. "I'm sorry, it's just.. they're being ridiculous and I'm getting tired of having to explain myself all the damn time."

Regina repositions herself so that she sits with her back against the headboard, legs crossed at the ankles. She smiles when a pale hand reaches for her own, their fingers entwining as she tries to appear more comfortable on Emma's rock hard mattress than she is. "I assume this is where I'm supposed to tell you they're your parents and they're only worried about you."

Emma snorts. "Yeah, except we both know there's a lot more to it than that."

Regina hums her agreement, the Charmings had always been a dead topic when it came to the two of them. Neither of them could see the point in rehashing all her past wrongs, both having accepted the fact that Emma and Henry were probably the only ones that would ever be willing to believe she wasn't that person any more.

For a while, the two of them remain where they are, content to enjoy the others presence without the need to pass the time with pointlessly inane chatter, which Regina is eternally grateful for it; on account of the fact Emma isn't one who lacks for words in most circumstances.

It's a trait she finds frighteningly endearing most of the time because even in the bumbling, ineloquent way the blonde tends to go about saying things, those things are – more often than not – exactly what Regina needs to hear at the time. She supposes this also explains the quiet now, as it's what she needs most.

But as all good things must come to end, Emma's hunger makes an appearance and their silence is broken when the sound of her stomach grumbling causes Regina to start laughing, which only intensifies when Emma frowns as if offended by its intrusion into their moment.

* * *

"Finally!" Henry shouts when they appear, jumping up from the floor and throwing himself on the couch. "Hey Mom, can we go camping?"

Regina raises an eyebrow, "Why, dare I ask, would we do that?"

Following her nose over to the couch where she can smell the pizza just waiting to be devoured, Emma chuckles as she glances at the tv and realises the reason for his sudden interest in camping. "Dude, seriously; you want to go camping just because Spongebob did?"

He shrugs. "It looks fun and we've never done it before, so why can't we?"

Emma gestures to Regina with her hand, "Do you seriously see your mother roughing it?"

Sitting beside the blonde, Regina slaps her hand out of the way and flips open the two boxes on the table. "You have no idea what I am capable of."

Emma snickers at the memory of having heard that once before and as she tears a piece of pepperoni from her slice of pizza and pops it into her mouth, Regina adds. "You're also not getting any cupcakes for that."

Eyes widening, Emma narrowly avoids choking on the piece of meat when she gasps. Closing her mouth, she chews quickly and swallows before she slowly turns her head to look at the brunette. "Don't toy with me woman, you did not bring cupcakes."

Regina hums as she eats, taunting her by not responding and it isn't until she looks ready to combust that Regina extends her hand and points to a container on the edge of the table that Emma had somehow missed.

Emerald eyes follow the direction of her finger and Emma gives a pathetic little whine in the back of her throat, the container see-through and displaying six perfect, delicious looking cupcakes with pink icing. "Did you make those?"

Regina nods.

"Strawberry?"

There's another nod, accompanied by a knowing smirk.

"Can I really not have any?" Emma looks longingly at the container, not caring that she sounded like a four-year old being told Santa didn't exist – which if Henry's continued giggling is anything to go by, she did. She knows they were made with her in mind, Regina said she had never baked anything with strawberries before.

Leaning into the blonde, Regina whispers into her ear. "I could be persuaded to share." and Emma's eyes widen for a whole different reason before her own smirk appears.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the smut begins...

"Bed, Henry." Regina says as she wanders back into the living room with yet another beer for Emma and her third glass of wine.

Henry sighs and turns off his game. Already well passed his bedtime, he knows that asking to stay up any longer would be pushing it. Shoving everything back into the cabinet, he stands and walks over to his mothers, kissing the both of them on the cheek before he slouches off to his room.

When Regina bends to place their drinks on the table, she bites her lip as a wandering hand slides across her backside to hip and the next thing she knows is the feel of Emma's lap as she's pulled down into it. While the hand continues to map every inch of her body within its reach, she tilts her head back and to the side as a mouth descends on her neck to lick and suck at her pulse.

As her hand settles on a silken clad breast, Emma slips the other beneath the tight, black skirt where she strokes the warm flesh of Regina's inner thigh. Ever since the cupcake fiasco earlier in the evening, "persuading" Regina is all that she could think about and even though Regina had already caved and given her what she wanted, she decided she would go ahead and give them something they both want.

Sinking her teeth into the throb beneath her tongue, she feels herself getting even wetter as her ministrations draw the most exquisite sounds from the brunette; soft moans from a gentle squeeze of her breast, the little whimper as she drags her tongue across the pulse and the slight hitch of breath when the tips of her fingers stray too close to heat.

"Emma, bedroom." Regina groans, thrusting her hips as knuckles brush against her sex.

Emma reluctantly pulls her mouth from delectable flesh to reply and trails her lips to Regina's ear. "Too far." she murmurs before taking the lobe between teeth and slipping her hand beneath lace. Sliding her finger between slick folds, Emma moans at the abundant wetness she finds there and feels an irrational surge of pride at knowing she is the sole reason for it.

Regina bucks as the tip of a finger briefly penetrates her before trailing back up her slit to lazily circle her clit; her eyes slamming shut as she slaps a hand over her mouth in a vain attempt to stifle the sounds that involuntarily escape her. Knowing that their son could come out at any time and catch them in the act, she bites down hard on her hand to focus her mind long enough to transport them to the bedroom and just as they land on the bed, Emma enters her again and her mind goes blank as her body encourages the pleasure.

With a desire to feel more skin, Emma soon removes her hand from between legs, ignoring the sounds of protest as she glides the hand up Regina's torso and over her chest where fingers begin to deftly unbutton the shirt barring her from what she craves. Once open, Regina leans forward without Emma needing to ask and removes the shirt completely to reveal lace covered breasts.

"As sexy as this is-" Emma fingers the strap across Regina's shoulder. "-it needs to go." and the husk of her voice causes a shiver down Regina's spine as she nods her agreement.

Emma releases the clasp of her bra and Regina quickly pulls it down her arms, tossing it to the floor with a moan as both of her breasts are cupped in the palms of warm hands. Pressing her back against Emma, she raises her hips into the air and yanks the zip down the side of her skirt. She pushes it along with her panties down over her knees and upon lowering herself back to the mattress, she kicks them off and spreads her legs.

The return of fingers between her folds causes Regina to whimper and she closes her eyes, leaning her head against Emma's shoulder as a fire ignites in the pit of her stomach. "God you are fucking beautiful." Emma whispers, her tone full of awe as she strokes Regina's sex.

Pressing her palm against the bundle of nerves, Emma slides two fingers easily back inside the brunette and she pauses to savour the moment; the view of her fingers sheathed deep within clinging heat, the hot, throaty moan that sounds as hips thrust up and force her even deeper - and then there's the heady scent of arousal permeating the air that causes an intense desire to taste, to drink in Regina with more than her eyes and her mouth waters at the thought.

With an impatience she had no idea she were even capable of, Regina grabs on to the hand between her legs and digs her nails into flesh as she growls, "Emma."

Realising she had become transfixed by the thoughts running rampant through her mind, Emma brushes her lips along Regina's jaw in an unspoken apology, capturing her mouth when she turns her head and slipping her tongue between lips as she starts to slide her fingers in and out.

With every stroke, the pace increases and before long, Emma is pounding into her; each thrust hard and fast while Regina forces them to stay locked at the lips to muffle the sounds of her seemingly constant pleasure. But as Emma continues to drive her closer and closer towards the edge of immeasurable bliss, Regina can't help breaking away from the soft lips as a string of expletives tumble from her mouth.

Never could she have imagined that it would feel so good.

When they kissed, it always seemed like their first time; it made her feel light-headed and weak at the knees, it also never failed to arouse her beyond belief but Emma was always so careful, so gentle as they explored each other and Regina had wondered where that possessive woman from the station - where they shared their first, undeniably mind-blowing kiss - had gone.

Tonight, it seems, she had found her once more.

Emma can tell that she's close, Regina wet and clenching around her fingers, breathless gasps mixed with indecipherable words. She slides her hand from an overly stimulated breast, down Regina's stomach where she pauses to feel the muscles twitch beneath her touch before descending lower, slipping beneath the palm of her other hand as it continues its relentless assault. Easily finding the engorged bundle of nerves between soaked folds, she begins to rub tight circles around it.

Regina whimpers and moans as Emma's fingers pump in and out of her, but the sounds stick in her throat suddenly when she feels the light pinch of her clit. Mouth falling open in a silent scream as the fingers curl inside her, her orgasm crashes through her body in seemingly never-ending waves of pleasure, coating Emma's hand with pulses of heat.

After what seems like hours but in reality is only a few minutes, Regina slumps boneless against the blonde, breathing heavily as lips travel down the length of her neck and across her shoulder, peppering her damp flesh with light kisses while a hand strokes her stomach. She sighs and closes her eyes as the high dissipates, her body satisfied and content to stay where it is for now, enjoying the attention still being shown to it freely.

When her breathing returns to a more natural pace, Emma slides the fingers from inside her and Regina gathers her legs under her before rising to her knees. Turning in place, she eyes Emma up and down before gesturing to her shirt, eyebrow raised as if to challenge the blonde to disobey her next words.

"Remove it."

Licking her lips at the demanding tone, Emma sits forward and pulls her shirt over her head, throwing it to the floor before she reaches around to her back and unclasps her bra, saving Regina the hassle of having to order her around as it too is tossed to the floor. She smirks at the brief flash of irritation in brown eyes, chuckling a moment later as her little act of defiance is forgotten when Regina takes in the sight of her breasts and she devours Emma with her gaze.

If the way Emma kisses her arouses Regina, it's nothing compared to the view she now has. Hard, dusky pink nipples that tip bountiful breasts and a torso that seems to go on for miles - abdominal muscles she wants to taste, to run her tongue over while she fucks the blonde to climax. She reaches out and touches them, delighting in the way Emma's breath hitches as the muscles clench beneath her fingertips.

Mouth dry, her voice is hoarse when she removes her hand and gives her next command. "Take off your pants."

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Emma's hands dart to her waist where she quickly loosens her belt before releasing the button on her jeans and unzipping them. She lifts her ass off the bed as much as she can without forcing Regina to move back and pushes them halfway down her thighs. Sitting back down, she draws her knees up and peels them the rest of the way off before they join the rest of the clothes on the floor.

Noticing she hadn't removed the boyshorts as well, Regina smirks and holds Emma's gaze for a few, tense-filled seconds before she flicks her wrist and those too are gone in a puff of purple smoke.

Trailing her eyes back down pale flesh, they come to rest on swollen folds. "You, Miss Swan, look good enough to eat."

Before she can so much as blush at the compliment, Regina sits back on her heels and grabs Emma by her thighs. Pulling her lower body into her lap and forcing Emma on to her back, Regina leans forward and their mouths come together, Regina's tongue dominating the kiss as she slips her hand between their bodies and roughly cups Emma's sex.

Their eyes remain locked during the kiss but when Emma feels fingers slide along her wet folds, she moans into Regina's mouth and closes her eyes as they slowly massage her clit before sliding down through slippery heat to circle her opening. She could feel her impatience surfacing when Regina went no further and she tore herself away from the talented mouth, her breathing ragged as she begs. "Please.."

Regina sits back and looks down at her, a brief flash of surprise mixed with triumph crossing her face as she takes in the blonde, chest heaving, skin already coated in a light sheen of sweat, emerald eyes filled with unadulterated lust yet somehow pleading along with her voice.

"Regina.. fuck me.. please."

Pushing into Emma with two fingers, Regina leans forward until they're face to face again, her hips pressing against the back of her hand and forcing her fingers in as deep as possible while she purrs, "Now how could I resist such a beautifully worded request."

Emma cries out when Regina withdraws from inside her only to slam back into her again and she latches onto shoulders, raking her nails down Regina's back as she repeats the motion over and over again. Lips and tongue make their way down her throat to her collarbone where they bathe attention, bruising skin with teeth then licking and sucking away the pain.

Putting pressure on Emma's clit with her thumb, Regina moves down the blonde's body, nipping and kissing her way to hardened nipples, sucking them one after the other before continuing on to Emma's stomach, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her arousal.

Mind gloriously blank after having surrendered to all the sensations Regina's skillful fingers and mouth were creating, a pleasant hum begins to spread throughout Emma's body. Squirming beneath the tongue that swirls around her bellybutton, she threads her hands through Regina's hair and arches her back.

Trailing her mouth down Emma's stomach and over the small thatch of blonde curls, Regina exposes her clit with her thumb, parting her folds and wrapping her lips around the hardened nub, pulling it into her mouth and flicking the tip with her tongue. She moans as she feels the liquid heat that spills over her hand, sending the vibrations straight from her throat and into Emma, making her cry out, louder this time as she bucks hard against Regina's mouth.

Emma groans when an arm is suddenly across her waist, holding her down as Regina curls her fingers inside her, sucking hard on her clit until Emma finally cums, her jaw clamped tightly shut to prevent a scream that would likely awaken their son should it escape.

Withdrawing her fingers once again, Regina slides her tongue down Emma's slit and without warning, she thrusts inside her, forcing another surge of heat to ripple through the blonde as the action itself extends her orgasm. Regina releases another moan as Emma's bittersweet juices coat her tongue, sliding smoothly down her throat as she drinks in every last drop.

Even after her body stops twitching, Regina continues trying to coax more from her and Emma barely has enough strength to push her away, settling for nudging the side of Regina's head with her thigh and hoping it, combined with the only two words she can muster, is enough for the brunette to get the point and let her recover.

"Baby.. stop."

Regina raises her head to meet the hooded eyes staring down at her and, not wanting to move from her spot just yet, she shifts just enough to rest her head on Emma's stomach, looking up at her with a semi-apologetic smile. Emma presses a palm to her cheek, thumb stroking beneath Regina's eye as her own smile comes unbidden to her lips.

* * *

When all three enter the diner the next morning, they receive the usual stares and glares – well, Regina gets more of the latter than Emma or Henry, but the blonde is feeling especially protective today and the glares seem as though they're meant for her as well.

Red stands behind the counter, watching them even more intently than the rest of those present and Emma mentally slaps herself for forgetting about that whole mess – not that Regina would have allowed her to decline their breakfast together considering it was her fault for not having any groceries in her kitchen.

Just another reason she hated herself this morning; missing out on more of Regina's delicious food – she needs coffee, a lot of it.

When Regina slides into a booth, Henry follows suit and slips in beside her while Emma walks over to Red and orders for them all. Henry had been raving about apple-maple french toast since he woke up, she's fairly sure she can't go wrong with him and Regina always orders the same thing, so no problem there.

"Hey Em." Red's nostrils visibly flare before she smiles and tilts her head.

Stupid pheremones, Emma thinks as she raises her hand to ward off the barrage of questions she's sure will come if she doesn't say something first. "You won't be getting any gossip to spread from me, so please ignore whatever you think you know and leave it alone."

Red frowns. "Oh come on E-"

Emma interrupts, all too familiar with the manipulative pout and puppy dog eyes Red generally incorporates into her begging when she wants information. "I said drop it."

Reciting the three orders, she turns on her heel without another word and makes her way back to their booth, sighing as she sits down and rubs her head in frustration. "Remind me to buy groceries.." there's a thoughtful pause before she adds, "..and quit my job."

"Rather than hiding yourself away, you could just tell them." Regina offers, making Emma snort in amused disbelief.

"Oh sure, I bet everyone will be rushing to congratulate the two of us when we do that."

Giving up on feigning interest in the menu, Regina places it back on the table and raises her eyebrow. "Is that what bothers you, or are you worried people will think less of you because of it?"

Knowing the question for what it was; an unnecessary but instinctive manifestation of an emotional wall to protect herself, Emma raises her eyes to the ceiling and counts down once more, tempering her anger for the second time this morning before she meets Regina's eyes and replies with a question of her own.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to sit here and resist strangling every single person in here that is staring at you? It's as if they're waiting for you to suddenly cast another curse or rip out my heart over breakfast." Regina's eyes soften and she shakes her head.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you two talking about?" Henry looks back and forth between them.

Before either of them can respond, Red saunters over with their food and after serving Regina and Henry, she not-so-gently slams Emma's own food down before she walks off in a huff.

Sighing, Emma looks to Henry and smiles faintly. "We'll tell you later."

When he glances to Regina for confirmation, she smiles much more brightly than his blonde mother and she nods.

"Okay." he says with a shrug and turns back to his food, digging in and entirely oblivious to the way both of his mothers are watching him with confused frowns.


	9. Chapter 9

Leaning across the passenger seat to wind down the window, Regina clears her throat before she asks the question both she and Henry had been wondering for, at least, the last ten minutes. "Are you going to go up or do you plan on standing there until one of them comes down?"

Emma glances over her shoulder at her, brow creasing in the way that it does when she wants to make a snide remark but knows it would get her in more trouble than it's worth. She turns back to the building and looks up to the window of her parents apartment, sighing before she shakes her head and finally moves from her spot on the sidewalk, slipping inside and making her way up the stairs.

She had called to ask David to cover for her at the station for a week and even though he had agreed without requesting an explanation - and despite the fact Snow probably wanted to disown her because of the way she had been behaving for the last month - Emma knew that both of them would be upset if she simply left without giving them a way to contact her.

While she would have been content to merely send them both a text, Regina made that particular scenario impossible when she pulled up to their apartment and practically forced Emma out of her car.

She hesitates a moment before she knocks on their door and her eyes dart all over the place; her nerves completely shot while her mind tries to convince her to run as far away as possible – a particular habit of hers that is only made all the more evident by the way she rocks on the balls of her feet as she waits.

When the door swings open, the smile on Snow White's face quickly fades at the sight of her and Emma bites her lip as she considers asking if David is home, which makes her feel like a complete coward but she _really_ didn't have the time to get into another argument with her mother – not that she would have even if she did.

Instead, she sticks out the hand that holds a piece of paper containing all their contact information necessary, should someone in Storybrooke have need of her or Regina for whatever reason.

She shoves her hands in her pockets when Snow takes it, explaining before she's even asked to. "David agreed to cover for me at the station and he'll need some of the information on there. I wrote a list of the people available as deputies if he needs them. Archie will be stepping in as Mayor while we're gone."

Snow looks up from the paper with her eyebrow raised. "Gone?"

Lifting her shoulders in a shrug, Emma continues. "Henry wants to see what else there is outside of Storybrooke and.. we agreed to a road trip of sorts. We'll only be gone for a few days."

Emma's stomach knots at the sight of concern seeping into Snow's eyes and she averts her own, giving answer to a question that didn't require asking. "We're coming back."

When no response is forthcoming, she chances another look and the doubt is as plain as day on her mother's face. She takes a deep, steadying breath as she contemplates whether she's ready to follow through with the thought running rampant through her mind and after a minute or two, she gives a firm nod.

"Look, I know we need to talk and I haven't been the most receptive person as of late but I'm not going to run. I want my family, that includes you, David, Henry and yes, Regina too." Snow opens her mouth the moment the name leaves her lips but Emma puts a stop to the interruption with a shake of her head.

"That's a problem for you, I know and it's why we need to talk but she makes me happy and being with her, it's doing both me and Henry a world of good so please; leave it for now. I'll be back and then we can sit down over lunch at Granny's or something. Just... use this time we're gone to think about it."

"Okay." Snow says abruptly, raising her hands in surrender and sounding entirely too defeated for Emma to even consider it to be genuine. "You're right, maybe some time where we're not afraid we'll run into one another will help."

Despite the warning bells going off in the back of her mind and her instinct telling her to run for the hills, Emma responds with a somewhat strained smile and a nod. "Right, well I'll see you in a few days – week tops."

Before Snow can get in another word, Emma is already halfway down the hall and descending the stairs.

* * *

Emma can feel the way Regina keeps glancing at her from the corner of her eye while she drives and although she knows she should probably say something, she only slumps further into her seat as she continues to stare out of the window.

The only sound preventing an awkward silence from descending on them is from Henry's handheld that, for some unknown reason, Regina had bought for him; even though for the past week all she's done is complain about the fact Emma got him addicted to those quote – overrated video games for mindless idiots – unquote.

It isn't until they hit Augusta that Regina finally grows tired of the blondes sulking and pulls over on the side of the road. She opens her door without a word and ignores the dual looks of confusion she see's through the windscreen as she makes her way to the passenger side.

"What the hell?" Emma says, only just managing to avoid smacking her head on the roof as she's suddenly yanked from her seat and out of the car.

Pulling her out of the way, Regina slams her door shut before folding her arms across her chest and fixing the blonde with her trademark glare. "Exactly the question I have, Miss Swan. What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem?" Emma looks at her with disbelief. "You're the one man-handling people."

Regina rolls her eyes. "I am not spending another second in that car with you until you tell me why you've been sulking for the last two hours, so out with it."

That was the thing though, Emma hasn't a clue why she's been behaving the way that she has when there was no obvious reason for it. She isn't sure how Regina would react to that though and she wanted them to fight even less than she'd wanted a confrontation with Snow.

"Well?" Regina prompts after five whole minutes of absolutely nothing in the form a response from the blonde.

Emma sighs because what else was there to do? She had to give her an answer if she wanted back into the car and Regina wasn't exactly the most patient of people, especially when it came to Emma trying to think while confused.

"I don't know." she mumbles.

Regina narrows her eyes, scrutinizing the woman before her and barely containing the desire to yell at her for making her worry for what was apparently nothing. "You don't know.." Regina repeats and the longer she looks, the more she sees the uncertainty and the tense set to Emma's shoulders as if she were bracing herself for the reaction Regina is oh so close to giving in to.

Emma's confusion doubles when she finds herself being tugged forward by her belt loops, brown eyes having somehow softened in the moment of what could only be described as a silence verging on volatile. She doesn't resist the action, nor does she protest the soft press of lips against her own.

When Regina pulls away, Emma is beyond thankful for the finger that replaces lips and prevents anything beyond the, "Wha-" from escaping her mouth because her brain can clearly not be trusted right now.

"Whatever it is, you'll figure it out." Regina smiles. "Promise you'll tell me when you do?"

Emma swallows the lump in her throat before drawing her bottom lip between teeth and after determining she was, in fact, safe from the angry rant she'd been expecting, she acquiesces with a nod.

After another brief kiss, Regina makes her way back over to the other side of the car and returns to her seat, waiting for Emma to join her and placing a hand reassuringly on the blonde's thigh when she does before she starts the car.

As they pull away from the side of the road, Henry clears his throat and tries to sound as normal as possible when he asks, "Did you two just kiss?"

Both sets of eyes widen.

While they had promised to tell him after that morning in the diner, it completely slipped their minds and since they were never all that overly affectionate in front of him, it hadn't been brought up until now.

Unsurprisingly, Regina is the first to recover – which Emma is sort of glad for because the brunette is the one driving and the last thing they need is a car accident to further ruin the start of their family week together.

"Yes, sweetie; we did." Regina glances at him through the rear-view mirror with a hopeful smile. "Your mother and I are dating."

Neither of them are prepared for his muttered response of, "Finally." but he doesn't give them the opportunity to address it before he pops his headphones in and returns to his game.

* * *

After a pit stop in Portsmouth and a second in Worcester, they stop at Hotel Duncan in Downtown New Haven for the night and the first thing to come from Regina's mouth is the predictable snark consisting of, "Well you certainly know how to pick a place with character." to which she receives an elbow to the ribs from their son and an eye roll from Emma for her efforts.

"I came here over four years ago, Regina and I wasn't shanked in my sleep then so I think we're perfectly fine to stay here for one night." Emma retorts, brushing passed the brunette with their bags and approaching the reception desk.

"Prison humour, how unexpected." her drawl laced with sarcasm and earning Regina a hard glare from the blonde while she got them their room.

She supposes she shouldn't turn her feelings of discomfort into a reason for goading Emma, but it did take her mind off the fact that they were hundreds of miles from Storybrooke and without magic, Regina is just as helpless as every other peasant in this godforsaken world.

Seeming to read her mind, Emma bumps their hips together when Regina comes to stand beside her. "I feel it too, you know."

Regina shakes her head with a sigh because of course the woman with true love coursing through her veins would feel the loss, but it isn't only that for the brunette. "At least you're familiar with this world outside of a small town in the middle of nowhere."

With an understanding smile and a shrug as she leads them over to the stairs, Emma replies. "We can fix that, you know."

"We can?"

Emma pauses mid-step at the skepticism clear in Regina's voice, ignoring the way her arms protest under the weight of their luggage. "I dunno if you've noticed but I'm kind of a nomad, Regina. If we're going to be together, then you have quite a lot of travelling in your future."

The rest of the trip to their room is done in silence and before Emma can drop their bags to retrieve the key, Henry snatches it out of her back pocket, unlocks the door and throws it open; all of which, Emma and Regina both notice, is done without once taking his eyes from the game in his hand.

"Do you see what you've done to our son?" Regina sighs as they follow him in.

"Maybe I was wrong about how zombies are created." Emma says, dropping their bags and gesturing towards the bed Henry has already laid claim to. "If he starts preferring junk food and energy drinks to your cooking, we should probably consider an intervention."

Henry's head rises at that and he gives the twin expressions of feigned indifference directed at him a look of suspicion. After about a minute, he shrugs and goes back to his game but not before mumbling, "I'm hungry." and receiving an amused snort from both of his mothers.

Emma had visited New Haven enough times as a bail bondsperson to know where most of everything is and while she didn't particularly want to leave, she also knows that Regina enjoys wine with her dinner and is likely in even more need of it now considering the waves of distress that had been rolling off the brunette since they went over the town line.

"We can order takeout or I could go and pick something up?" Emma offers while shaking her head at the kid.

"Would going out involve you trying to convince me to let you drive my car?" Regina teases and the memory of the one and only time Emma convinced Regina of anything causes a grin to appear on both of their faces.

"Nah, there are plenty of places within walking distance.." Emma's grin widens at Regina's pout before she adds, "Besides, I'm saving all my skills of persuasion for more cupcakes."

With an exaggerated sigh, Regina waves dismissively towards the door. "Fine but no sushi.." she raises her voice as Emma is almost completely out the door. "..and try not to get mugged before you've paid for dinner."

She smiles at the faint, "Yes, My Queen." she hears from the opposite side.

* * *

Shutting off the bathroom light, Emma disrobes before sliding into bed next to Regina who immediately turns to face her. Slipping a hand beneath Emma's tank top, she smiles as Emma hums appreciatively and tugs her closer, drawing her fingers through Regina's hair as she rests her head comfortably on Emma's chest.

"Do you feel better?" Regina murmurs as she closes her eyes and listens to the soothing, repetitive thump of Emma's heart.

It takes Emma a long moment to overcome her confusion before she realises what Regina is referring to and having promised she would share, Emma sighs before she answers. "Yeah, I think Snow is hiding something from me."

"Oh?"

"She answered the door this afternoon all smiles, which lasted all of a second after she realised it was me."

"Considering the relationship you two have at the moment, that isn't all that surprising is it?" Regina asks as she absent-mindedly traces patterns across Emma's stomach.

"No, it's not that. It's just you came up - as you tend to do - and instead of her usual spiel about evil and whatnot, she lets me shut down her first attempt to rant and.. agrees with me."

Regina chuckles, still not entirely sure she understands the problem. "Perhaps she's tired of arguing and has finally accepted that her daughter is old enough to make her own decisions."

"Maybe." Emma says, though it's clear from her tone that she doesn't believe it. "I just got this weird feeling that she only agreed to placate me, not because she accepts it and while I would love it if it didn't bother me, it does."

"You don't think she has another plan up her sleeve, to convince people I've somehow bewitched you?" her amusement at the notion of people thinking she cast a spell on Emma is still evident.

Emma presses an affectionate kiss to the top of her head, though she's unable to make her voice sound anything but emotionless. "No, I think this may have more to do with her confession in Neverland."

Regina's eyes snap open, her fingers stilling their movement as a sudden barrage of images from Henry's childhood assault her mind. She breathes a sigh as understanding of Emma's earlier mood dawns on her. "You think she's pregnant."

"Yeah." Emma smiles as Regina tilts her head and places her own kiss against the underside of her jaw before she continues to explain her feeling. "I wouldn't mind if she was, but I think she might be afraid to tell me and that kinda.. sucks."

"That makes a surprising amount of sense." Regina muses somewhat teasingly, stopping what she is certain would have been a protest by rising from Emma's chest and capturing her lips in a soft, reassuring kiss before resettling. "I know how it bothers you that Sarah is so terrified of you and to think your own mother might share that fear, it's understandable why you feel a certain amount of discomfort about it."

"Is it bad that I sometimes wish she had just stayed as Mary Margaret?" Emma feels the shake of head against her chest that immediately follows her question.

"I don't think so." Regina shifts, wrapping her arm around Emma's waist and pressing herself harder against Emma's side before continuing. "I think maybe if she'd raised you, you'd feel differently about her and part of me knows that it's partially my fault you feel this way."

"Don't do that." Emma scowls, tired of that wound being reopened again and again when there is absolutely no point to it.

Regina releases an amused huff and asks, "Do what? Take responsibility for my actions?"

"Don't bring blame into this, there's plenty of that to go around for everyone but the past still exists along with its mistakes, placing blame changes nothing and only serves to make people feel worse."

After a few minutes of silence, Regina tries to burrow further into Emma's chest as she mumbles, "I'm sorry."

Sighing, Emma tightens her hold on the brunette with a whispered, "I know." and presses another kiss into her hair before she closes her eyes and waits for sleep to take them both.


	10. Chapter 10

When Emma awakens, there's a split second of panic as she pushes up from the bed to look around the hotel room. She has no idea what the cause of her sudden consciousness is, though she knows morning has yet to come as shadows dance eerily across the room and the only light to grace the darkness is that of the artificial one shining in from the streets below.

As her eyes adjust, she hears a noise to her right that sounds an awful lot like a whimper and she throws off the covers, padding on bare feet over to where Henry lay curled in the middle of the bed. She ignores her body's yearning to return to her own and the warmth of Regina as she carefully coaxes his sleeping form into a better position, slipping in beside him and molding herself to his back as she places a protective hand at his waist.

The effect is almost immediate and he relaxes against her as his mind releases whichever nightmare it had conjured for him this time, the lasting trace of a fearful whimper tapering off into a relieved sigh as Emma's chin comes to rest on the top of his head. She closes her eyes, breathing in the scent of the apple shampoo that Henry insists Regina buy for him because it reminds him of her and she wills her body to follow his example and relax, all too familiar by now with the restlessness that will accompany her sleep without Regina next to her.

The last thought she has before she drifts off is that of Regina, a smile on her lips as her mind fills with the image of the brunette, irritation etched across her face; the expression a familiar one when it comes to having to tolerate a particularly moody blonde in the morning.

When she wakes for the second time, there's an overwhelming amount of heat warming her from both sides along with confusion as she feels unusually rested. It's only when she opens her eyes to see the slim, tanned arm wrapped tightly around her body that the confusion dissipates and the warmth filling her is of a different kind.

At some point during the night, Regina must have woken and switched beds when she realised Emma was no longer beside her and as the thought brings a grin to her lips, Henry chooses that moment to jerk in his sleep and elbow her in the chest.

She groans. "Son of a.."

"Emma?"

Her mouth snaps shut as soon as the sleep-filled husk reaches her ears and she pushes Henry, who rolls to his stomach without waking as she turns in Regina's arms with a smile, brushing away the slight downturn of lips with a soft kiss and a murmured, "Good morning."

"Mmm." Regina hums her approval, wetting dry lips with the tip of her tongue as her eyes flutter open, smiling as she finds emerald eyes staring intently at her mouth. "What was that for?"

Emma gives a goofy grin and replies, "Being you."

With a playful eyeroll, Regina sits up and runs her fingers through tousled hair as she glances to the unmoving form of their son, concern filling her expression as she's reminded of why they were in his bed to begin with and she swallows the lump in her throat before returning her gaze to the blonde as she says, "I thought the nightmares had stopped."

Propping herself up on an elbow, Emma reaches out and slips a stray lock of hair behind the brunette's ear, thumb brushing lightly across a cheek before she drops her hand to the mattress where one of Regina's own sits and weaves their fingers together. "I don't think it was as bad they were, he didn't wake up screaming this time."

"Well I suppose that's something." Regina sighs and squeezes the hand in hers before pulling away and getting out of bed.

"We should wake him and get ready to leave." she makes to step away but she's prevented from doing so when Emma gets up, shuffles to the edge of the bed on her knees and grabs her by the hips.

"Why don't we let him sleep for a while longer, you can have your shower while I go out and get us something for breakfast." Emma suggests, dropping a kiss to Regina's bare shoulder as she finishes.

Heaving a far more exaggerated sigh, she replies. "Fine, but if this over-sleeping in the morning becomes a habit, you'll be the one punished for it." Regina turns her head to retrieve a proper kiss from her before she disengages the arms slowly wrapping themselves around her waist and moves to do as Emma had said.

Emma chuckles and the goofy grin returns as she watches the brunette disappear into the bathroom.

* * *

Their reservations at the Bryant Park Hotel in Times Square were booked in advance and as they enter three hours later, Emma watches as Henry seeks approval of his choice by flashing Regina a grin, the question clear in his eyes. After a brief look at their surroundings, the brunette returns it with an appreciative smile of her own and though Regina eventually admitted that her displeasure of accommodation in New Haven had more to do with teasing Emma than any genuine complaint - especially considering it was a last-minute choice - the blonde still rolls her eyes at the interaction as she nudges them both over to the reception desk.

Entering their room, Emma strolls over to the one adjoining theirs and tosses Henry's bags inside. Turning around to see to their own luggage, she stops and frowns as she notices Regina staring at her with a mix of anger and exasperation. She has a theory as to the reason behind the expression but raises her eyebrow anyway and asks, "What?"

Regina bites her lower lip and her brow furrows as she says, "His nightmares have returned..."

Suspicion confirmed, Emma sighs and moves to start unpacking. "He's almost a teenager, Regina."

When the comment is met with nothing more than silence, she looks up to find the brunette staring at her as if waiting for a reason as to why his age is relevant and, realising that there is a far simpler way to prevent the argument before it begins, Emma turns to their son. "Henry?"

"Yeah?" he replies distractedly.

"Do you still want to sleep in your own room, or in here with us?"

With a look that says _are you two serious_ , he glances at them both and shakes his head before he mumbles, "I'm eleven, not five." and returns to his game.

"There, the not-five year old wants to keep his own room." Emma says, choosing to pretend that Regina isn't glaring daggers at her as she goes back to unpacking; even though she can practically feel the eyes boring into her skin like murderous laser beams.

His nightmares don't bother her any less than they do Regina, Emma just doesn't see the benefit in continuing to coddle him and if he were to have any hope of overcoming them, then they needed to believe that he's capable of doing so without their constant meddling. She wouldn't allow him to needlessly suffer if she could prevent it, like early this morning but she isn't about to delude herself into thinking she could fix everything for him either.

Of course Emma knows that if she ever said such to Regina then it would more than likely result in a fight, so she employed an underhanded, yet effective tactic by getting their son to side with her and put an end to the discussion altogether. She feels a little bad about it but if their time away from Storybrooke was going to be enjoyable, then them bickering like a married couple needed to be put on hold, at least until their return because lets face it, that would always be a part of their relationship.

As she puts away the last of their stuff, she heaves another sigh and finally meets Regina's gaze but the brunette has long since turned her attention to their son and the concern has re-emerged in brown eyes.

Walking over to him, Emma snatches his handheld from his grasp and pauses it before tossing it down on their bed. "It's lunch time and this trip was your idea, so you'll be taking a break from the virtual world to join us in the real one."

When he opens his mouth to protest, she gives a subtle nod of her head towards Regina and with a look, it takes him less than a minute to realise what Emma is doing and he flashes them both a smile as he bounces off the bed and starts rambling. "Can we have pizza? And visit the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building? It looks cool. Did you know they have a museum of Modern Art?"

"Uhh." Emma laughs even though he's laying on the enthusiasm a little thick. "I did know that, is that where you seriously want to go though?"

He frowns. While the trip _had_ been his idea, it was supposed to be about their whole family spending time together, so it made sense to him that they would do things that his mothers enjoyed too even if he might not be all that interested. "It doesn't have to be today but I know you like art.. and Mom likes art."

Emma and Regina both stare at him in surprise before they look to each other and voice the same thought. "You do?"

They both chuckle softly, nodding their heads and it dawns on Emma that these were the sort of things they would have learned about one another if they had dated first. She has no problem whatsoever with the fact Regina doesn't _do_ dates because she honestly isn't fond of them either, but she makes a mental note to use this time together as a way to make up for it.

* * *

Emma decided that tagging along with them while they were being tourists, was possibly one of the greatest things in the history of ever. All she had to do was remind Regina that this entire trip was about new experiences, distancing themselves from their comfort zones and enjoying themselves, and the hard ass Mayor did not disappoint – nor did their son, though Emma had expected nothing less since she already knew their son was an adventurous one.

They started with lunch, Henry dragging them both into the nearest Pizza Parlor and Regina showed considerable restraint in not making comments pertaining to their health. Emma was extremely grateful but surprised, even she had been tempted to say something when one customer walked in smelling like he'd never even heard of a bath, let alone had one.

Thirty minutes later, they had a new appreciation for what New York considered fresh air as they walked the streets and occasionally one of them would pull the other two into a store they thought looked interesting enough to be worth wasting time in.

There was the comic book store that Henry found where Regina happily trailed along behind him, like she was used to listening to him ramble on about one superhero or another. Emma found the whole thing hilarious, watching as Regina picked up each comic he showed a certain amount of enthusiasm over, always waiting until he had his back turned before she did so.

By the time they left, he had a brand new collection of comics that he tried, for ten minutes, to talk her out of buying for him and only gave up when he realised she was staring blankly at him, simply waiting until he'd finished while ignoring his protests entirely.

Time appeared to fly by when they went to the Museum. Emma really did love art, she could spend hours just staring at a piece and simply _feeling_ the beauty and embracing the emotions that it invoked inside of her. Except, this time, the only thing her eyes seemed to be able to focus on was the company. The way that Regina appreciated the pieces in the same way that she usually did.

A couple of times, she caught the shimmer of tears in brown eyes and her attention would turn to whichever thing the brunette had been studying at the time and she wouldn't need to ask, she simply _got it._ Then there were the comments Henry would make whenever he looked up from his comic book, seeing that they had moved on to something new and she found herself laughing more often than not because _he_ didn't get it and kept scrunching up his face, saying things like;

"It's a circle, I can draw a circle." or "It looks like they mixed random colours and threw it across the room." Her favourite by far, even had Regina laughing as he tossed his hands in the air and shook his head, claiming that all the photos of food just made him hungry.

The best part of their day, in her opinion, is as she sits in the dressing room with Henry. They're both examining Regina who stands before them in form-fitting black jeans and an equally fitting shirt that reads, **I'm Bad and You Love It** , a smirk on plump red lips and an eyebrow raised as if challenging Emma to deny it.

"Henry." Emma says as she slowly rises from her chair, the lick of her lips being all the warning Regina needs to know what Emma is about to do.

"Yeah?" voice full of wonder as he's never seen his brunette mother dressed so casually before.

"Close your eyes." The words are barely out of her mouth before she grabs Regina by the belt loops and pulls her close, claiming her lips with a kiss and ignoring the groan from behind them; she did warn him.

Regina smiles into it and brings her hands to Emma's hips, enjoying the warmth that fills her, pleasantly surprised by how different it felt from their usual kisses. It isn't heated, there's no tongue prodding or teeth nipping at her lips; it's simple, tender, almost.. loving and her heart stutters in her chest at the thought.

"You're gorgeous." Emma breathes against her mouth as they part, trailing her lips across Regina's cheek and all the way to her ear as she adds in a whisper, "And your breasts look delicious in this shirt."

"Are you two done yet?" Henry interrupts Regina's response with a whine, having closed his eyes the second he was shown why he should have listened to his blonde mother in the first place.

Emma is prevented from voicing her disappointed affirmation by a determined, "No." from Regina before her lips are captured once more and immediately caressed by a tongue requesting entrance which Emma readily grants, resisting the moan begging for release as the tongue slides into her mouth and tangles with her own.

She would never deny Regina but she didn't want to mentally scar their son for life.


	11. Chapter 11

Their third day in New York started with rain which meant Henry declared an inside day where they had to stay in their hotel room because he decided that seeing the sights wasn't worth the hassle of walking around with an umbrella. Emma was inclined to agree with him and as a team; they managed to convince his brunette mother without too much effort.

They were well into their impromptu lazy day.

With an Iron Man marathon and copious amounts of popcorn behind them, Henry managed to manipulate his mothers in to surrendering his handheld. While he sits across the room, Regina relaxes on the couch with her eyes closed, Emma's head in her lap as her fingers stroke through curls, a faint smile dancing across her lips when Henry releases a soft growl, no doubt having died playing whichever of his numerous games she had bought for him.

Emma has a book in her hands, though her attention is on Regina more often than not. Seeing the brunette in her current state has warmth spreading its way through her, an overwhelming sense of happiness that washes over her whenever she shares these moments with her family. She finds that happening a lot more frequently recently - things that used to interest and hold her focus quite easily quickly lost their appeal in favour of simply appreciating the brunette; whether with her eyes, hands or mouth.

She groans at the thought of that last one and tosses the book over to the coffee table, rolling on her side and burying her face in a taut stomach. Regina opens her eyes and glances down at the blonde, her fingers trailing along a well-defined jaw as she questions softly, "Are you okay?"

Emma nods and tries to burrow further into her, which causes Regina's breath to hitch and a flutter of heat to settle low in her stomach as a quiet exclamation of understanding escapes her lips. It hadn't occurred to her until now that it's been nearly a week since they last had sex and even though they have a room to themselves, they distracted themselves so much during the day that they were too tired to do anything more than hold each other at night.

"Almost as bad as going this long without your food," Emma mumbles against her and Regina chuckles but before she can dwell on it too much, her phone vibrates on the table and Emma flips over to glare at the device as she reaches for it. She passes it over and returns to the warmth, nudging Regina's shirt up with her head and nuzzling into the sliver of flesh that appears.

Suppressing a shiver, Regina glances at the screen and grimaces at the name flashing before her eyes. "Why is your mother texting me?"

"Dunno," Emma mumbles, not in the least bit curious about anything besides the muscles that keep twitching beneath her lips every time she exhales a breath.

"That is extremely distracting, Miss Swan," Regina mutters low enough for Henry not to overhear but Emma only hums in response and Regina is too busy rolling her eyes as she reads the message from Snow to reprimand her. "She wants me to join the two of you, something about you promising a lunch when we return?"

"Gimme," Emma says and snatches the phone before Regina can hold it out of reach. She sits up and dials Snow's number, swatting away the hands that are attempting to stop her and she flashes Henry a grin when she notices him watching them with amusement.

Snow answers on the third ring, thinking it was Regina.

"No, it's me..." Emma flinches before yanking the phone away from her as Snow practically squeals her name and once she is sure her eardrum won't burst, she gingerly returns it and waits for the woman to stop spewing apologies before she replies, "I'm fine with you inviting my girlfriend to lunch and yes, she would love to co-"

"Uh huh." She ignores the death glare she just _knows_ Regina is directing at her and pretends to listen intently to Snow rambling about do-overs and new beginnings. "That all sounds great, we'll still be here for a few days though.. Okay... Yeah, you too... Bye."

As soon as she sets the phone back on the table, she meets the glare and waits for the threats of violence to begin but Regina merely sniffs as she says, "I don't recall agreeing to that."

Emma leans over, takes her by the chin and kisses her soundly on the lips then pulls away. She returns her head to nestle within the brunette's lap once more as she informs, "If I have to go through something that is no doubt going to be the most excruciatingly painful experience of my life - as my girlfriend, you are obligated to share the joyous occasion with me."

"Is it too late to break up with you?" Regina asks wryly, a small smile coming to her lips as she stares fondly down at her.

"You are so too late for that," Henry butts in, having eavesdropped on their conversation and Emma nods her agreement, pointing to him as she looks up at Regina with her own smile to confirm his comment with a, "What he said."

* * *

On the fourth day, the rain let up around the afternoon and they did what most tourists would do when visiting the Big Apple by taking a trip to Liberty Island and seeing the statue. It is something Emma had done countless times before but somehow being with someone, or rather – someone important to her, made the experience more worthwhile, more enjoyable.

She watched their son absorbing new information, learning about its construction and the symbolism behind it. They listened to a story one man was telling his daughter about the roman goddess Libertas and how roman slaves would shave their heads and instead of hair, would wear undyed pileus when they gained their freedom.

When Henry asked what a pileus was, Emma responded that it was a felt cap just as Regina opened her mouth to answer. She knew the brunette would have delved deep into a pool of entirely useless knowledge about hats for such a simple question because, of course, over twenty-eight years of time being frozen and having nothing better to do, Emma held no doubt that the woman did, in fact, know absolutely everything there is to know about - well, everything.

"You are full of surprises." Had been the only comment to make it passed those lips which made Emma grin from ear to ear, a tiny sense of pride sparking in her chest as Regina took her by the hand and they wandered the island a while longer with Henry asking seemingly random questions whenever they popped into his head.

Overall it was another day full of wonder and entertainment for the Swan-Mills family and they were, once again, exhausted when they returned to their hotel room.

* * *

They decided early on the fifth morning that it was to be their last day in the city, opting to spend their weekend back in Storybrooke. As nice as it was to escape their rather unusual lives for a time, they all agreed that they missed the atmosphere of their sleepy little town and, surprisingly enough, its bizarre occupants.

And after another day spent exploring, interrupted by bouts of random shopping and minor but meaningful discoveries about each other, they were once again back in their hotel room; Henry likely sound asleep after consuming far too much food to be considered healthy.

"Regina." Emma frowns as she stands from the floor, clutching an unfamiliar garment in her fist and turning to the brunette who steps from the bathroom as she asks, "What is this?"

"A gift for your mother," Regina replies nonchalantly, the room filling with her throaty laughter a few seconds later as Emma's expression turns horrified and she immediately flings the lingerie back where she found it.

When Emma looks to her with pouted lips, Regina playfully rolls her eyes and moves until they stand less than an inch apart, her still damp arms slipping around Emma's neck as she presses her towel-clad body against the blonde. "That will teach you for going through my things," she purrs and brushes their lips together, barely a kiss but enough to ignite their desire for one another.

While Regina showered, Emma had the thought to pack for them so they would not have to rush to gather their things in the morning. "We leave tomorrow," she explains as she slides her arms around Regina's waist and leans in for another taste, the slightly minty flavour of the kiss causing a much deeper moan to erupt from her mouth.

She hates mint.

"God I bet anything would taste good with you added to the mix," she says, trailing her lips along a jaw as fingers thread themselves within her hair, Regina's breathless chuckle creating a delicious tingle that shoots straight to her sex.

As the arms tighten around her and teeth scrape against the heated flesh of her throat, Regina begins inching back towards the bed. "If I'd known this is your reaction to the mere sight of my new negligee _off_ , I'd have shown it to you sooner," she murmurs, shivering when hands find their way beneath her towel to knead the firm cheeks of her ass and she's lifted from the ground with ease, her legs finding a home around the blonde's waist.

Placing Regina gently down on the mattress, Emma spends a few minutes savouring the sounds she pulls from the brunette with the ministrations of her mouth, unable to resist lavishing the steady, throbbing pulse with attention. The quick nip of teeth, the strokes of her tongue causing a symphony of whimpers and moans to fall from plump lips as Regina squirms beneath her.

When she finally ceases and coaxes the legs to release her, it is to a growl of protest and hands that desperately reach for her; moments too late as Emma stands upright, grinning down at Regina who returns her gaze with a glare softened by the evident arousal within brown depths.

Reaching for the bottom of her tank, she smirks as the glare disappears entirely, replaced by a hungry stare that devours every inch of flesh uncovered as she frees herself from the cloth, her nipples hardening with the cool caress of air against her bare breasts. Hooking her thumbs beneath the waistband of her boy shorts, her sex clenches upon hearing another, more impatient growl than the first and she winces when, seconds later, Regina pushes up from the bed and rips the shorts from her body.

Emma sighs her exasperation as the now ruined underwear flutters to the floor, ignoring the slight sting of pain as she finds the knot that somehow still holds Regina's towel in place and loosens it with one hard tug. The sight of flushed, olive skin causes her mouth to water in anticipation for what she could, and would, do to the woman after an entire week of surviving without.

Regina grabs the back of her neck and pulls Emma with her as she lies back down, moaning when wet warmth descends on her breast, pulling a hardened nub between soft lips and bathing it with a hot tongue. "Emma," she breathes the name, a whisper as her back arches and her fingers slide once more through silken curls, clutching the head to her chest.

Emma takes her time, bathing each breast with attention until Regina's impatience forces her to move on and she grins as she traces down the body with her lips. A small bite placed beneath a breast over the ribcage, pleasure filled seconds spent sucking the flesh of Regina's hip and the swirl of tongue when she reaches the bellybutton that has the brunette ready to plead.

However, begging is not something Emma wants.

In her eyes, Regina is a goddess who should never have to beg for the worship that she is more than happy to provide and rather than the strangled sob that wants to escape Regina's lips imploring Emma for more, comes a long, appreciative groan as a tongue glides through her folds.

Regina feels herself being spread open, hands clutching inner thighs that force her legs to remain pressed to the bed while the tongue gathers the slick heat coating her lips. Her stomach burns with need, a seemingly unquenchable desire that causes her to buck her hips, searching in vain for something that will continue to evade her as long as Emma deems necessary.

It is fortunate for her that she has found Emma to be a merciful lover and she is never made to wait long, certainly shorter than the torturous lengths she forces the blonde to endure. "Oh god," Regina moans, nails digging into Emma's scalp as fingers slowly penetrate her.

Emma pauses when knuckle-deep, allowing tight walls to relax around her while continuing to tease Regina's clit, the path of her tongue mapping letters to a phrase either had yet to express with words but one she has never been more sure of in her life. As Regina begins to move against her hand, Emma rises from her position to claim lips that curve with a smile, the feelings overwhelming them both; shared within a passionate kiss.

"I love you."

They freeze and emerald eyes stare down at her in disbelief. In every scenario Emma had imagined, Regina was never the first, not once. "You do?" she asks, her voice hoarse with both arousal and highly unwelcome emotion in this particular moment.

A lower lip disappears between perfect teeth, wide brown eyes searching her face before they soften and Regina offers her a smile as she raises a hand to her cheek. "I do," she confirms the words that had slipped through the filter of her mind, heart thudding wildly against her chest while she awaits a response that, unsurprisingly, comes not as speech but action. She inhales sharply, closing her eyes when the fingers begin to move inside her and her hand falls away to the bed with a dull thump as Emma erases all traces of thought from her mind.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a little rushed, as I wanted them back in Storybrooke.

Emma groans as she steps from the hotel, the sun hitting her square in the face. She carries their bags to the car while Henry stands beside the Mercedes, smirking at every agonized sound she makes and being his highly unhelpful self, his brunette mother somewhere behind her.

"You're useless, kid." Emma nudges his thigh with one of the bags as she passes him, tossing them into the trunk with a grunt before she slams it closed and turns in time to see Regina making an exit worthy of a movie star.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you all; the lovely, the wonderful and oh so talented, Regina Mills!" Emma grins and Henry cups his hands around his mouth, mocking the cheer of a crowd while Regina shakes her head at the both of them.

"Idiots," she murmurs as she pauses beside Henry and runs her fingers through his hair affectionately.

She tries to ignore Emma as she makes her way to the driver's side of the car but is forced to stop when the blonde swats her backside, sighing as Emma grabs the waistband of her jeans and pulls her back into arms that embrace her from behind.

"I think you forgot something," Emma says and Regina rolls her eyes, turning her head and pressing a kiss to Emma's cheek before she pries the arms from around her waist.

"Get in the car before I decide to leave the both of you here," Regina threatens with a chuckle, swatting the hand away from her rear and throwing a playful glare to the blonde as she slips into the driver's seat.

Receiving another swat when she attempts to choose what they would listen to on the way home, Emma huffs and ignores Henry's giggle from the backseat. "Quit hitting me, woman," she complains and when the gleam enters brown eyes, emerald ones shine with amusement.

Emma knows all too well what Regina is thinking and she warns in a singsong voice, "Our son can hear you."

Mumbling something unintelligible, Regina starts the car and it is then that Henry finally says his first complete sentence of the morning. "Ma, why are you in a good mood? You're not a morning person and it's like… the butt crack of dawn."

"First off; if your mother was paying attention, she probably would have scolded you for that." Emma smirks at Regina who raises an eyebrow but remains silent as she continues, "Second, it's like ten o'clock, dawn was over hours ago."

"You didn't answer the question, dear." Regina chances taking her eyes off the road and gives her a knowing look before returning her attention to the front.

Emma blushes and feigns interest in something out of the window with a mumbled, "Yourmothersaidshelovesme."

Regina laughs softly and Emma scrunches her face when overcome with the urge to turn her head back to stare at the sight, too quick to be thankful when Henry breaks the moment. "Mom, could you get that?"

"Yes dear," Regina replies before directing her next words to the blonde. "Our son would like you to know he doesn't speak babbling idiot."

Emma's head snaps around, mouth agape as mother and son were almost in tears from laughing too hard. She points to Regina, eyes narrowed as she says, "You're driving, stop that," then faces their son. "And you are just rude… and mean."

"And only fluent in English," he retorts and all three laugh as Regina snorts at the comment.

"So…" Henry prompts as their laughter dies down. "What was it you said?"

Emma glances at him through the rear view mirror, a smile on her face as Regina's hand comes to rest on her thigh and squeezes gently. "Your mother said she loves me," she enunciates this time, more relaxed than embarrassed as she had been earlier.

Henry frowns. "Of course she loves you."

Dismissing his lack of understanding with a wave of her hand, Emma replies, "Last night was the first time she said it, don't ruin it."

His frown remains but Emma is distracted by the murmured, "Technically that's not true," from the woman beside her.

For a few minutes, she sifts through her memories of their time together and when she fails to come up with another, Emma questions, "It's not?"

Regina shakes her head. "Do you remember what I said the day you came to apologise? When you mentioned that you didn't think your feelings for me would be reciprocated."

"Uh…" Emma pauses in thought. "Something about realising there wasn't a single person in the town who didn't-"

"Love you," Regina finishes with a smile.

Emma gives a pleased smile of her own and slumps back in her seat. Entwining her fingers with the hand on her thigh, her head lolls to the side as she breathes a soft, "Oh," of comprehension.

"You're not going to pull over and start making out, are you?" Henry asks after at least five minutes of watching his blonde mother stare googly-eyed at his brunette one.

Emma contemplates the idea while Regina responds with a devious grin, "I might. You should grab a comic or your console from your backpack; just in case."

* * *

Three hours into the drive, Regina pulls in to a roadside café for a somewhat late lunch; surrendering to the combined effort of their son's vocabulary deteriorating with his hunger and the growling of Emma's stomach, before they drove her completely insane.

Emma makes a show of her appreciation with an exaggerated kiss to the cheek, the smack of her lips bringing a smile to Regina while Henry mimes gagging himself as he left the car. Emma's teasing accusations of him feeling left out went ignored as he disappears inside the café, missing Regina slapping her for the third time that day.

Shutting the car door, Emma rubs her arm as she moans, "You know, if we were married, that would be considered spousal abuse." Realising what she had said too late, an expression of horror overcomes her and she stands rooted to the spot.

As Regina comes around to the passenger side and notices the look, she rolls her eyes and grabs Emma by the hand. "Well since we're not, I can only assume that means I can keep doing it," she teases, dragging Emma toward the café where their son no doubt awaits to order an unhealthy amount of artery clogging food, which his blonde mother will helpfully assist in consuming.

* * *

By the time they reach Storybrooke, it is just after four pm and Emma slows as they drive over the town line, unsure how it will feel when their magic returns to them. She is relieved when all she feels is tingling along her skin and warmth entering her veins, though it is short-lived when Regina inhales sharply beside her.

Looking to the brunette, Emma immediately pulls over to the side of the road, the pained expression causing a flood of panic that has words erupting from her mouth without thought. "Are you okay? What's wrong? What can I do?"

Regina closes her eyes and breathes in deeply, settling her hand on her chest as she swallows and exhales loudly. After repeating the process a couple of times, her eyes open and land on the concerned face of her girlfriend, causing a smile to spread across her lips.

"I'm fine." She presses a finger to pale lips as Emma opens her mouth in what she knows will be an exclamation of doubt and traces the contours of her mouth as she reassures her, "It's the truth and I will gladly tell you what I felt but I would like to reach our home first."

Emma nods in understanding before her mind comprehends the exact words but when it does, her eyes widen and she questions, "Our home?"

Regina smiles at that and leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to those lips before she pulls back. "You could live on another planet and I would still think of it as our home," she confesses and reaches up to caress Emma's cheek.

"Well if I didn't need therapy lessons before, I do now," Henry jokes and Regina laughs as Emma rolls her eyes, throwing a glare to him before she sits back in her seat.

"Once were out, remind me to thoroughly embarrass him in front of his friends and the rest of the town," she says to Regina and starts the car as one Mills continues to laugh while the other groans in protest.


	13. Chapter 13

"Woo hoo!"

Curious, Emma veers from her journey to the den and wanders into the kitchen where Regina and Henry are supposed to be making dinner. She pauses in the doorway and takes in the counters covered in an assortment of ingredients, her eyes lighting up with the understanding that most of them were for baking.

"Uh…" Mother and son turn at the sound, their expressions perfectly matched as their eyebrows rise in sync. Emma, feeling weirdly disturbed by it, manages a crooked smile as she asks, "Are we having cake for dinner or something? Not that I would be opposed…"

Regina chuckles and shakes her head, returning her attention to the dessert she had decided on while Henry tends to his other mother. "Mom ordered Chinese; apparently Granny changed the dinner menu. And it's not cake, it's a meringue."

Emma struggles to control her face from contorting with a grimace. She isn't very fond of meringue but considering it is Regina, who has somehow managed to alter her taste substantially since Emma found out she could cook, she is more open-minded about her food than she used to be. "Like Angel Food?"

Regina scoffs and Henry shakes his head. "Mom isn't really a fan of American foods. It's called Pavlova, which she usually only makes at Christmas. It's another one of our traditions but you've never had it and that's kind of…"

At his pause, Regina glances over her shoulder. "Lame," she finishes for him and Henry nods his head with a grin while Emma laughs at her choice of word.

The Regina of the past would have described- in extensive detail -exactly what she thought of Emma's unrefined palate. To hear her use such crude and classic Emma-like phrasing, made Emma forget her earlier distaste as a desire to know what it takes to have Regina resort to ineloquent simplicity replaces it. "Must be some dessert," she remarks, taking a seat at the kitchen island as Regina moves to the fridge and pulls out a variety of fruit that she passes to Henry.

"The reason it became tradition," Regina explains while retrieving a knife, which she also hands to their son. "-is because I consider it a real treat. Were we to eat it regularly, not only would it lose its value as a worthwhile dessert but it would also make us feel truly awful."

Taking the bowl of ingredients from Henry, he continues the explanation as he slices the fruit and Regina busies herself with applying the mixture to the foil spread across the bench. "At Christmas, we have all sorts of desserts to go with it; jelly, trifle, chocolate éclairs but they usually end up as leftovers- which Mom takes to the orphanage- because Pavlova is _really_ sweet and usually after one slice, you don't even want to look at another dessert."

Although eager to try this new dessert, as well as experience a Christmas in the Mills household, Emma finds herself more curious of quantity and the reason behind it than the actual food itself, surprisingly. "You make all this, just for the two of you?"

"Of course not," Regina answers. "Before the curse broke and once Henry and I were done with our own little celebration- as he already said –we visited the orphanage. Had we not intended to do so, I wouldn't cook or bake quite so much."

Floored by the information, it takes Emma an uncomfortably long time before she is able to speak again without the threat of bursting into tears looming over her. It would have been nice growing up, to have someone that cared enough to visit the homes, to do _something_ simply out of the kindness of their hearts, even if it only occurred once a year.

She can feel, more than see the way that Regina and Henry both brace themselves and she doesn't know what reaction they expect from her, but she is certain it isn't the one she gives in the end. "Why the fuck do people think you're evil?" she blurts the question without thinking.

"Emma!" Regina admonishes, spinning to glare at the blonde.

At the same time, Henry's eyes widen and he yells, "Ma!" Not out of shock at hearing her swear, rather that she had done it in front of Regina who, despite her best intentions, liked to believe he is still that little boy who cried because she got mad at him after he accidentally said shit that one time when he was six.

Emma gives them both a sheepish smile and seeing no sense in dwelling on it when she can't take it back; she shrugs. "My bad… but seriously, what is wrong with this town?"

"I think their ability to see the good in me might be hindered by my fondness for genocide and the years they spent living in fear of me," Regina drawls sarcastically and rolls her eyes. "Or maybe it was the thirty years they were suspended in time without memories because I was unhappy with my life."

Emma sighs and lets the subject drop. It would be pointless to list all the reasons why the latter made little sense and she knows it is even less sensible to expect Regina or anyone else from the Enchanted Forest to distance themselves from their old lives and focus on the ones they have now. There was so much black and white in their world, and she is thankful now more than ever that the town had voted to forego finding a way back; the kind of thinking a world like that encouraged would have had her tearing her hair out by the end of the first week.

Shifting in her seat, it's as she looks up that she realises the two most important people in her life had returned to their baking as though the conversation hadn't happened in the first place and she can't help the smile that spreads across her face. It seems that neither of them were as sensitive to mentions of Regina's past as they had been only a few months ago, while Emma apparently still has a little soul searching of her own to do.

She's been avoiding anything and everything that has the slightest chance of bursting her bubble since her and Regina began their relationship. Even now she realises none of them had made any effort to let anyone know they were back, content as they were to remain within their happy little family with no desire for interactions with the outside world.

Pulling her cell phone from her jacket, she makes little noise as she stands and wanders from the kitchen, leaving mother and son to their baking.

* * *

When the doorbell rings, Regina is in the process of placing the meringue into the oven and she twists, mouth open to ask Emma to answer it and frowns when the blonde is nowhere in sight. Standing up, she faces Henry and asks, "When did your mother leave?"

Lower lip protruding in thought, he shrugs his shoulders with a shake of his head. "Dunno," he says and Regina sighs.

Wiping her hands on the nearest dish towel, she leaves the kitchen and makes her way towards the door. She pauses in the foyer when she sees Emma talking to Red and after a few minutes, Emma retrieves the bags containing their dinner and closes the door. When she turns and sees the brunette standing there staring at her, she raises her eyebrow.

"What?"

"I simply wondered where you disappeared to," Regina says with a dismissive shake of her head. She moves to take the bags from the blonde but Emma evades the attempt by stepping around her and moving towards the kitchen, leaving Regina with no choice other than to follow.

Entering the kitchen, she leans against the doorframe and watches as Emma starts taking things out of the bags, setting them on the island while Henry pulls their plates from the cupboard. The domesticity and ease of it all causes her eyes to burn with unshed tears, so unused to this feeling of contentment that seems to have taken hold of the three of them that it causes her composure to come crashing down around her.

For a long while, she thought happiness would remain forever out of her reach and to have it firmly within her grasp could be overwhelming at times. She often catches herself wondering how much time she has until it is taken from her once more, especially in moments like this where everything seems so simple, so right that it cannot possibly be real.

During their time in New York, those thoughts had stayed behind in Storybrooke but now that she is home, it seems they have returned with a vengeance. Out in the world, she was simply another person bustling about the crowded city streets with her girlfriend and their son, taking in the sights and living in the moment. In Storybrooke, she is the Evil Queen who has corrupted the Savior, turned her against her family and nearly cost her her son's life- twice, both times resulting in horrific nightmares that sometimes awoke them all in the middle of the night with a terrified scream.

"Mom?"

Regina blinks slowly, coming back into the moment and it's then that she realises the two of them are staring at her with the same look of concern that furrows their brows. She tries to brush it off with a smile, but then Emma steps forward and she suddenly finds herself wrapped in an unexpected embrace.

Henry- her sweet sweet boy- gives them a moment and excuses himself, retreating from the room to provide them some privacy and she is both thankful and disappointed by the fact. There is no one in the world that is more important to her, yet she understands that he is, more often than not, uncomfortable with overt displays of emotion.

Relaxing against Emma, she wraps her arms around the blonde's waist and closes her eyes as her head drops to a shoulder. She smiles softly as Emma begins to rub circles at the small of her back, releasing a satisfied little hum as she soaks in the safety she feels within the strong arms.

"Does this have something to do with your reaction when we crossed the town line?" Emma murmurs in her ear after a few minutes more.

She wants to shake her head, but stops herself and instead says, "I'm not entirely sure." It's the closest thing to the truth that she has and when Emma holds her tighter in response, she knows the blonde won't push for anything more.

Until Henry returns, neither of them know how long they remain in that position, but when an audible sigh sounds from behind her, Regina pulls from the embrace to face him and chuckles at the look of exasperation on their son's face. "I gave you guys twenty minutes, the food is getting cold and I'm hungry," he says with a slight whine to his voice.

"Poor baby," Regina teases and leans into the body that presses against her back. Side glancing the blonde as a chin rests on her shoulder, she jokes, "If there were ever any doubt he is your son, I think his appetite may provide solid proof."

"I'm not ashamed to take full credit for that," Emma replies with an entirely too serious expression. Regina inhales sharply as she then nuzzles into her and lightly nips at the flesh of her neck before adding, "Feed us, woman."

* * *

"Oh dear sweet jeebus," Emma groans and falls face first onto the bed; she's 99.999 percent certain that there is now an alien inside of her, growing at an accelerated rate. She fully expects her stomach to be ripped open in a matter of seconds so it can emerge into the world to warn people of the danger of eating way, way, way too much.

Having no sympathy for the glutton, Regina merely states, "You were warned," as she slides a hand under the blonde and grabs the clasp of her belt.

Emma grunts and squirms as Regina tugs at her pants. "I was fine until that third piece."

Regina frees her from the ridiculously tight jeans- that under normal circumstance she appreciates very much- and drops them to the floor, exasperation clear in her voice as she questions, "Then why on earth did you have a fourth?"

"Because Emma Swan is a badass and refuses to be beaten by deliciously orgasmic desserts," is the response, or at least what Regina thinks is the response considering it had been muffled by the mouthful of duvet Emma has, apparently too bloated to even attempt turning her head for coherency sake.

Moving to her side, Regina pulls back the covers with a shake of her head. "You're an idiot," she informs the blonde of the fact as she climbs into bed.

"Yours," Emma replies.

"Yes," Regina confirms with a chuckle. "You are my idiot."

Pushing on to her hands and knees with less complaint than she expects, Regina watches Emma crawl the rest of the way up the bed and as she returns to her prone position on her stomach, head hitting the pillow, she smiles. "Thank you for undressing me- I feel a little better now," she says.

"You're welcome, and I'm glad."

Wriggling beneath the covers, Emma scoots closer and drapes an arm across her stomach, gently squeezing a hip as she mumbles sleepily, "You know I love you, right?"

Regina stares and stares, her lower lip caught between teeth as she inwardly scolds her body for betraying her emotions a second time that day and her eyes begin to burn with those unshed tears once more. She _did_ know Emma loves her, but the fact is she has never heard Emma _say_ it and the fact she could just pose the question so casually the first time she _does_ say it, is so infuriatingly _Emma_ that Regina wants to both laugh, cry and possibly slap the blonde for randomly dropping it on her like this.

But then Emma rests a head on her shoulder and over a few silent minutes, the little puffs of air at the base of her throat become shorter and less frequent as the blonde's breathing evens out into sleep, and Regina can't help the grin that spreads across her face. She tilts her head down and to the side, watches her girlfriends expression relax as she falls deeper and then reaches across the bedside table, turning off the light as she finally replies, "I love you too, idiot."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By this point, I was so over Snow White and their talk is implied rather than written.

Monday afternoon during the lunch rush, Emma bursts through the door to the diner. She looks around, gaze darting about the room as if searching for something and Regina knows this is the moment as their eyes meet. Hers drops instantly to the table of the booth, a smile threatening her lips as she feels the corners twitch.

The sound of a throat clearing has them snapping back to the blonde and Emma is there to meet them with a wide grin. Regina braces herself as best she can, unable to settle on which emotion she feels strongest. There is love—pure, unadulterated love that has kept her floating for months now, but there is also fear—of the unknown and the reactions this announcement will cause.

Most important of all, there is hope.

Hope for a future, for happiness and for a family she never thought she could have.

"I would like to take this opportunity of unwavering attention to inform you all that I, Emma Swan—of sound mind and in full possession of my heart—am unequivocally, head over heels, madly in love with the most gorgeous creature on the face of this planet…" She pauses, brow furrowing in thought before she amends, "Or any planet actually."

Regina feels her cheeks heat with a blush and Emma continues to grin while the occupants of the diner stare with open mouths. "Regina Mills, mother of my son and love of my life; I hope you are thoroughly embarrassed by this since I warned you not to test me, woman."

Forcing the blank mask that falls over her expression, Regina stands from the booth and brushes a few non-existent creases from her dress. With a glance to confirm their audience is still paying attention, Regina moves until she stands before the blonde and without preamble, she grasps Emma's shirt and pulls her into a kiss that leaves them both breathless.

"Emma Swan, you have no idea what I'm capable of," Regina growls lightly as she takes a step back.

The silence that follows is almost deafening before a low whistle breaks through and Leroy pipes up, "As hot as that was; I doubt anyone would believe you were ever of sound mind, sister."

"I think I'm offended they thought we hadn't figured it out when they disappeared with their son for almost an entire week," Granny says to no one in particular as she passes by the two on her way to clear one of the tables.

"Well I had no choice when it came to finding out about them," Red adds from behind the counter, "but honestly, all that eye sex and tension whenever you two were in the same room together—daaayum."

Emma and Regina are speechless as more of the town throw in their own comments, neither of them able to process what is happening, and wondering if perhaps they were victims of a spell that had sent them to an alternate universe. Granny and Red were the most likely to be in support of their relationship, as the Lucas women were of the rare few Regina had been nice to even before the curse broke, but the rest were a surprise.

When Emma manages to snap out of it, she whispers to Regina, "What the hell is going on?" and the brunette shakes her head in answer. Words continue to elude her and her eyes widen as she spots Snow and David approaching the diner. There isn't time to warn Emma who spins around at the sound of the bell and immediately takes a step back—into Regina whose hands latch onto hips to prevent falling on her ass.

"Emma—Regina," Snow greets politely, neither missing the way her eyes drop to Emma's waist. Both inwardly sigh when she chooses not to comment and merely smiles, waiting for their response.

Knowing Emma still has trouble figuring out what to call the woman; Regina saves her the trouble and is the first to respond. "Charming, Snow—glad you could join us," she says, her politician's smile fixed as she moves back and tugs Emma with her. It's a complete lie and they all know it, but her attention is firmly on the blonde in that moment. "We're over by the window, if you could give us a minute…"

Snow nods as she steps passed them, while Charming leans in to peck Emma on the cheek. Regina can just make out the words, "Relax kid," that he whispers before joining his wife at the booth and she pulls Emma over to the hall outside the restroom.

"We can postpone," she offers once they're alone, not entirely adverse to the idea as she realises she's likely even less ready to face Snow White than Emma is, but Emma shakes her head.

"We need to get it over with," she replies and Regina huffs. Emma smiles, drawing the brunette to her and capturing soft lips with her own—the kiss short but no less sweet before she withdraws. "Have I ever told you how adorable you can be?"

Regina grins, not quite willing to give up so easily as she brushes her lips teasingly across Emma's and murmurs, "Were you to delay this confrontation with your mother, you could be _showing_ me how adorable you think I am."

"That is extremely unfair," Emma laughs, feeling the low tug of arousal in the pit of her stomach. She bites her lower lip and raises a hand, tucking a brunette strand behind an ear before pressing their lips together for another brief kiss. "As tempting as you are—and believe me, not even your cooking compares to how enticing I find you—I need to do this."

"That would be far more believable if I hadn't had to bribe you with cupcakes to get in your pants to begin with."

Emma gasps, another laugh betraying the look of mock offense that paints her expression. "I didn't know what I was missing," she defends with a grin. "You spoiled me with all that food, how was I to know there was something better on offer?"

Rolling her eyes, Regina playfully shoves her in the chest and Emma grasps the hand, lacing their fingers together and dropping yet another kiss to curled lips before she leads them back to their booth.

From the moment they sit opposite Snow and David, there is an ease that develops between the four of them and although Regina finds herself in conversation with Charming more often than either Emma or Snow, she starts to think that what they're doing may very well be a good thing. While she doubts the animosity she feels for Snow will ever dissipate entirely, it pains her to think she could have unintentionally caused a rift between Emma and her parents, knowing what she now knows of the blonde's past.

Having been raised by her own parents, she feels a small amount of regret over memories she has where she had sometimes wished she were free of them. As much as she loved her father, she realises that on some level their relationship had been just as toxic as the one with her mother. Regardless of what she feels for parents she no longer has and a childhood long since passed, she is unable to comprehend what her life would have been like without them and can only imagine what Emma went through.

Now that she has the opportunity to know them, Regina feels a semblance of guilt that she almost cost her the chance. The desire to excuse herself is sudden, but when she feels the hand on her thigh squeeze, she glances to the side to see that Emma is smiling, as if she knows her exact thoughts and even the notion that she might causes a smile of Regina's own.

"You okay?" The question is quiet—inaudible if not for the fact they sit so close—yet Regina still looks to the couple across from them and upon realising Snow and Charming are momentarily distracted by each other, she gives a small nod that Emma answers with another squeeze.

Doubt claws at her throat, the well-acquainted desire to commit self-sabotage and convince herself it is for the good of another that she surrenders her happiness. It is familiar but no longer provides the comfort that it used to. Her whole life she has lived for the benefit of another and while she may still have obstacles to manoeuvre, she isn't about to let the greatest thing to happen to her in over sixty years escape.

Regina isn't aware of the woman watching her, piecing together the expressions she lacks control over while lost in thought, so she startles when emerging from them to register the scrutiny.

She raises an eyebrow, a curious challenge perhaps and it takes her a moment, in which she falters, to see the smile. Instinct suggests she scowl because the very idea that she is responsible for even a small portion of Snow White's happiness incenses her but… when has instinct ever helped her? If she is to learn from past mistakes, then anger has always dictated her actions, and the only thing anger has ever caused her is pain.

She doesn't return the smile, as that would be asking far too much of her. However, she does resist her natural reaction of showing disdain for the woman and instead reaches for her lukewarm coffee, bringing it to her mouth as she turns her attention to father and daughter who, at this present point in time, seem to be arguing over desserts.

Regina blinks. "Where in the world did this conversation come from?"

* * *

"Well that wasn't so bad," Emma notes as they walk down the street hand in hand.

Regina tugs, stopping the irritating swing of their arms while at the same time pulling Emma closer. "It could have been worse," she admits. "Neither you nor your father were correct though. Peach cobbler and Apple Crumble are certainly decent desserts, but nowhere near the best."

"I'm much more hesitant to disagree with you," Emma laughs. She untangles their hands, giving in to the silent request for more contact as she slips her arm around Regina's waist and questions, "Which is it then?"

"Peanut Butter Pie."

Emma stops, which in turn forces Regina to stop and although she refuses to look at the blonde, she smirks knowingly. "Peanut Butter Pie," Emma repeats and Regina hums, affirming she had heard correctly. "You know you have to make that now, right?"

"Oh I do, do I?" Regina turns her head then, and immediately laughs at the sight of the pout Emma wears. Her heart stutters as the sound forces pale lips to fall into a dreamy smile and, not for the first time, she wonders how it had taken them so long to get to where they are.

Emma is, of course, oblivious to how well she can derail Regina with even the simplest of reactions and, like their son, is capable of thoroughly ruining a moment before it fully blossoms. "If I have to bribe you with sex, I am totally willing to do so," she says and Regina shakes her head with a quiet sigh.


	15. Chapter 15

Emma quickly shoves the container into the drawer of her desk, wiping her expression of any and all traces of the excitement that remained from discovering the treat Regina left for her while she was out on patrol. David narrows his eyes, not even bothering to hide his suspicion as he walks into her office. His nostrils flare instantly and having forgotten her father can smell dessert from a mile off, Emma groans.

"I am not sharing with you," she states, her tone brokering no room for argument and he tilts his head with a knowing smirk. She caves within seconds and sighs. "Fine, but if you tell anyone—Red, Leroy or that damned wife—I will tell Regina to stop sneaking things in here for me during the day."

He raises his hands in unspoken surrender and sits down, patiently waiting to see what the brunette had brought for his daughter this time. Over the past month, Emma has shared a dozen or so of the treats Regina leaves for her, the last of which had become his new favourite dessert—as much as he loved Apple Crumble, he found no shame in admitting Regina has far superior taste to him.

Peanut Butter Pie is delicious.

With another sigh, Emma retrieves the container and removes the lid before she pushes it across the desk. Regina wouldn't tell her what she had been making last night—even going so far as to threaten her if she didn't get the hell out of her kitchen—and now that she knows, the blonde didn't blame her. The last time Regina made Tiramisu, Emma almost went into a food coma—though the workout the two of them went through afterwards likely has more to do with Regina's aversion to being in the same room with Emma when she recovers.

Emma recalls the brunette hadn't been able to walk straight for a week, and smiles at the reminder.

"Oh." David chuckles softly and pushes the container back as he says, "I think I'll pass on this one." Emma blinks and looks down at the container before returning her attention to him, baffled to say the least. He has never once turned down Regina's food—not that she can blame him.

"I remember this one," he states as he stands. It isn't so much the dessert, but the way his daughter had stared at him while he ate it that he remembers. "I like my face and I don't think it could escape another death glare without melting off."

Lifting her shoulders in a shrug, Emma frees the fork Regina had taped to the lid. "If you don't think her food is worth the risk of your face melting," she declares around a bite, "then you don't deserve it anyway."

David laughs and shakes his head, but then he frowns as she reaches down beside her chair. Taking the bag from the floor, she places it on the desk and inclines her head. "I think, however, that Regina considered the possible health risks to anyone I may have thought to share with and made an alternative."

His eyes light up and he snatches the bag, peering inside and slumping back into his seat with a grin. "I regret everything bad I have ever said about her," he informs as he takes a cannoli from within.

She smirks.

Cannoli halfway to his mouth, he pauses and says, "Oh I almost forgot; Regina invited us over for dinner, and she told me to threaten you if you decided to work the extra shift to get out of it but I asked Hook to cover that."

The smirk drops.

* * *

Regina sends Henry to answer the door when the knocking starts, preoccupied with reading the last chapter of Broken Skin by Stuart Macbride. Finding that she shares a love of crime thrillers with Emma had been a pleasant surprise, more so when the blonde revealed the treasure trove of literature she hoards in the back of that death trap she still tries to insist is a car.

"Mooom," Henry bellows from the other side of the house. "Grams and Gramps are here!" She rolls her eyes, knowing he's likely already returned to the den, which she might as well refer to as the games room now that he and Emma have taken it over with their asinine addiction.

With a sigh, she retrieves the bookmark from beside her and inserts it between the pages before she stands, book in hand, and walks back inside. Snow is in the kitchen when she arrives and she assumes David is with Henry, as she has come to realise Emma is a lot like her father, both being bottomless pits and overgrown children ninety-five percent of the time.

"Thank you for inviting us to dinner," Snow says the moment she appears and Regina wants to scowl at how cheerful she sounds. The idea to have dinner together had been Henry's and while she is somewhat less inclined to want to violently murder her, she in no way wants the woman to think she's actually warming up to her.

Waving her hand dismissively, she places the book on the counter before crossing to the stove and lifting pot lids to ensure dinner is progressing as planned.

Satisfied that she will be able to serve it on time and limit the number of their interactions, she retrieves two wine glasses from the cupboard silently and proceeds to pour them each a drink. She can feel Snow watching her, but instead of acknowledging it, she passes her a glass and leads them to the den.

When Emma arrives, she might consider feigning civility towards her mother but until then, Snow will have to be content with entertaining herself—she can hardly be blamed that they decided to arrive earlier than she specified.

It takes twenty-five minutes.

Twenty-five long, painful minutes between the time she sits down beside Henry and when the door opens to announce Emma is home from work. Snow prattles on about nothing while Regina sits silent, staring intently at the TV screen where her son amuses himself recreating their town on some Sim City nonsense she finds no appeal whatsoever in.

Those minutes? They don't pass on a clock, oh no, because _that_ would be far too simple, much less agitating knowing how long she has to survive not casting a silencing spell on the obnoxious twit. She counts, every agonising second, all fifteen hundred of them and the very second she hears the handle of the door turn, she shoots up from the sofa and walks as fast as her heels will allow to the foyer.

"I am going to kill her," is the first thing to escape her mouth and Emma smirks, which incenses Regina and she grabs the blonde by the collar of her shirt. "I swear to god, Emma."

Emma tilts her head and Regina knows, she _knows_ what is about to come out of her mouth, and she lets her say it because she _deserves_ to say it. "You invited her," is what she expects and not one to disappoint, Emma says exactly that.

She nods because it's true, she _did_ invite her but that didn't mean she had to _like_ it. Henry wanted a night with all of them together after hearing about their lunch and everyone knows she can't say no to him, not with that face he makes that screams, **_"I know you're trying and it's okay if you're not ready."_** She will _never_ be ready to play happy families with Snow 'the world revolves around me' White, but the fact is she _hasn't_ tried—not even a little, so when Henry looks at her with that face, it makes her feel like a big fat liar.

Hearing someone moving about the den, she yanks Emma forward and buries her head in the crook of her neck. She hears Snow say something behind her but doesn't register the words and she refuses to tune that voice back in. Instead, she bites the incessant pulse that won't stop beating against her mouth and she feels Emma stiffen, hears and feels the intake of breath.

"She's fine." Emma's voice is reassuring, a little strained if you know what to look for—Regina does and she feels an odd little sense of satisfaction because _that's what you get for blaming me for this hellish evening,_ she thinks.

A minute or two passes, in which she only hears one side of the conversation before Snow leaves and a hand starts to stroke her back in a way that soothes her. She lifts her head and Emma smiles softly down at her, trailing the hand up along her spine and curling around the back of her neck where fingers begin to knead, easing the tension from her muscles.

"I hate her," she whispers and the smile widens, proving that Emma isn't the least bit offended by the fact the woman she loves loathes the woman who gave birth to her.

Emma leans in and presses a brief kiss to her lips in understanding. "I know, baby," she murmurs and Regina sighs, returning her head to the safety of Emma's neck as warmth enters her chest.

It is in moments like this that she remembers why Emma is perfect for her. Even when she is acting certifiably insane, Emma doesn't demand anything, doesn't ask for an explanation or insist she _get over it_ as others would. She is patient—unbelievably so—and Regina hadn't considered that _that_ was exactly what she needed in her life until the two of them admitted their feelings for each other.

"This is for Henry," Emma guesses correctly after a short silence and Regina nods against her. She listens, comforted more by the sound of her voice than the words, but she listens all the same as Emma speaks. "One day he'll learn that there are some people you meet in life that you just can't get along with, no matter how hard you try."

She nods again, knowing exactly what Emma _isn't_ saying. Henry is still a child and he hasn't experienced enough of the real world to understand why his mother and grandmother can't simply _bury the hatchet_. They could but the fact is even without their pasts getting in the way, Regina simply doesn't _like_ the person Snow _is_ even on the best of days and she's fairly certain she would still want to kill her. She is annoying, intrusive and irrationally self-righteous—it's enough to drive anyone mad.

The clearing of a throat forces her to pull out of the embrace and she presses her lips to Emma's jaw in silent gratitude before she turns to face their intruder. David meets her gaze with a grin and she narrows her eyes, pointing her finger at him as she threatens, "One word, Charming, and you won't get within a mile of another one of my desserts for the rest of your life."

He clamps a hand over his mouth as she passes and Emma smirks at his horrified expression. "I'm sure if you interrupt Snow from talking, she'll reward you with more dessert than you can handle," she offers once Regina is out of earshot.

His hand drops to his side and his brow rises as he questions, "Will that work?"

"Oh," she laughs, "It will work; trust me."

* * *

"I need…" Lips capture the rest of the words before Regina can utter them and she whimpers into the kiss. Emma smiles against her mouth and starts to undress her piece by piece, her fingers nimble—efficient in their removal. Blouse, tank, slacks, jeans, bras, and then panties; their outfits soon litter the floor as she guides them over to the bed.

"I need to tell you something," Regina gasps as her back hits the mattress.

"Tell me later," Emma replies, climbing on top of her and straddling her waist. Regina groans, no doubt feeling how wet, how ready she is to help her forget the fact she just spent three hours playing host to two people Emma is fairly confident Regina would much rather have poisoned than had dinner with.

Regina arches her back, moaning as hands stroke her breasts, fingers teasing nipples into stiff peaks before Emma palms the supple flesh, loving each little sound the brunette lets slip. She looks up as Regina presses her own hands against hers, the pressure she places on them enough to stop her from going any further.

"I want to, more than anything but Emma, I…" She frowns as Regina hesitates, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. "I really do have something to tell you and I should have told you as soon as I suspected, but I didn't think it possible…"

Swallowing the sudden lump in her throat, Emma tries to keep a steady voice. "Just tell me," she says quietly, not knowing what to expect though her mind happily provides a number of scenarios, none of which ease the slowly rising panic she feels.

"You remember when we came back from New York—when we crossed over the town line?" Regina questions softly and Emma nods, the expression Regina wore that day seared into her brain. "I felt something else, besides my magic and it… scared me at first. I didn't think I was able, didn't think you…" she shakes her head, cutting herself off.

"What?" Emma prompts, hating herself for the slight edge in her voice. She breathes in through her nose and closes her eyes, releasing the breath as she opens them again and asks with more calm than she feels, "You didn't think I what?"

"I didn't think you loved me…" Her eyes widen in disbelief, barely catching the, "…enough," that follows and her mouth snaps shut as she scrambles from her position on top of Regina, getting to her feet and staring down at the brunette as she tries to remember how to form words.

"Enough," she repeats, the sentence rolling around in her mind, trying to make sense of it. "Enough for what?"

"I—I wasn't sure if we shared True Love," Regina says, a stricken look on her face. "If we did and we found out another way, I would have warned you of potential… problems."

"Problems?" Emma squeaks, and the next second her face contorts at the sound. She shakes her head. _Focus, for shit sakes,_ she inwardly scolds herself. "So we have a problem now? What problem? I thought True Love solved problems—makes us happy and shit—wait, you said _if we found out another way._ You mean we _do_ share True Love?"

Regina nods and her shoulders slump in relief.

"What did I do, get you pregnant?" Emma jokes and Regina raises her eyebrow in response. "Oh… shit. You're pregnant?"

Another nod.

"Oh my god!" Regina blinks up at her as she laughs. She sobers quickly, frowning as she says, "I thought you were going to tell me you had fucking cancer or someth—did you call _our baby_ a problem? What the hell, Regina?"

Regina's mouth opens to respond, but then Emma shakes her head. "Me," she says, "I'm the problem is what you meant. Jesus, woman—you think I wouldn't want this with you?"

She can see the pronounced bob of a throat as Regina swallows and bites her lip. Of course, she had to be an idiot and not shout her feelings for the brunette from the rooftops the moment she realised she would give anything to spend the rest of her life with her. Emma scowls at her own stupidity.

"I love you," she says. She wrinkles her nose, eyes dropping to Regina's stomach and she grins as she adds, "Obviously."

Realising they're still naked, her grin widens and she clambers on to the bed, hands on either side of Regina's head as she settles back on top of her. She stares down at her for a long moment, thinking. She's never been good with words, as she is much more comfortable with showing how she feels.

Placing her weight on one hand, she reaches up with the other and coaxes the lip from between teeth. "I love you," she repeats, thumb tracing the contours of Regina's mouth. "The night we met, I felt something for you and no, it wasn't love but it was… an appreciation. You were the mother of my son, you raised him, took care of him, loved him—everything I couldn't and I admired you for that."

"I realised—and denied for a _long_ time—that I was also… extremely attracted to you," she admits and Regina smiles faintly. "The admiration I felt for you only grew over the months—the way you fought for Henry, hell the way you fought for yourself. Looking back on all those times we argued, all the time we spent in each other's space… I realised that a majority of those times, I wasn't fighting with you. It wasn't about Henry, I wasn't trying to prove myself as a mother—I was fighting _you_ and the feelings I started to have whenever you got that look in your eye that either meant you wanted to rip my throat out with your teeth, or shove me against the nearest surface and..."

Laughter stops her from completing the rest of the sentence and Emma can feel the blush that surfaces on her cheeks. "I confess at times, I wasn't sure which it was either," Regina concedes with a grin, "but then I accepted the feelings I had for you much sooner and it was… difficult; not to give in to the idea that I had a very simple way of shutting you up."

"Well for what it's worth," Emma says, lowering her body flat against the brunette as she threads her fingers through the silken strands. "I will never forgive myself for denying us _this_ for all of those months. I am happier with you and our son than I have ever been in my entire life, and while I will never stop showing you, I hope you at least _feel_ how much I love you."

Cupping her neck, Regina pulls her down into a kiss and slides an arm around her waist. "I do," she purrs against lips, fingers stroking the length of her spine. Regina knows what she likes, can play her body like a finely tuned instrument and when those fingers press deep into flesh, kneading her lower back, Emma groans, unsurprised as familiar heat courses through her body.

She would be embarrassed given the chance, but Regina doesn't allow that. Instead, she finds herself sinking into another kiss. She parts her lips, granting access to the tongue that slips between them while the hand at her neck descends her back, bypassing its twin as it glides over the cheeks of her ass and dips into the wetness between her legs. Regina moans and the tentative touch becomes more insistent.

Emma squirms as a second finger joins the first, rubbing her slit and causing even more slick heat to drip from her entrance. Briefly, she wonders how Regina turns her intentions to please _her_ back on her so easily, but then the fingers are probing at her quickly aching core and she breaks the kiss with a gasp as Regina slips inside.

From this angle, there is a little pain but it only enhances her pleasure. "I love being inside you," Regina husks and Emma hums, spreading her legs further and thrusting herself down on fingers, forcing them deeper.

Regina clucks her tongue in disapproval, pulling out and causing Emma to whine in protest. Before she can think to speak, Regina switches their positions with relative ease and Emma is flat on her back, staring up at this goddess of a woman, trying to remember her own name as the fingers plunge back inside.

She tries to resist the sounds that beg to be heard, fearing they would wake their son should she give them voice and she sees the telling flash in dark eyes, knows she's in trouble as Regina starts to thrust against the back of her hand with hips. Regina lowers her head, mouth next to Emma's ear. "Give them to me," she growls and Emma moans, shaking her head back and forth.

Within seconds, she cries out as teeth sink into flesh. Regina knows her too well, knows each weakness that will send her flying towards release. The muscles in her stomach tighten, walls clenching around those talented fingers and she clasps the back of Regina's head, holding the mouth against her neck and encouraging the brunette to continue. Regina gives a hard suck to her pulse, pulling the skin between lips and worrying at it with teeth. Emma closes her eyes, hand fisting in hair as the sounds now spill from lips without thought.

She meets every thrust with a roll of her hips and when a thumb brushes over her clit, she loses what little control she had. Her back arches up from the bed as her orgasm rips through her, the scream of Regina's name quickly silenced by a mouth clamping down on her own. Fingers slow, drawing out her release as much as possible before Emma shudders and falls back to the mattress, body thrumming pleasantly when Regina settles on top of her.

Her eyes flutter open as she hears an unmistakable sucking noise and Regina grins around the fingers in her mouth. Emma chuckles softly, breathlessly and brings her arms up, wrapping the brunette in her embrace. "You're cute…" she murmurs, "…and you totally stole my moment."

Regina hums and lowers her hand from her mouth. "I would apologise," she says, "but then, I'm not sorry. I guess you'll have to come up with something else to show how much you love me."

Emma raises an eyebrow. "Or I could, you know, return the favour."

"Oh you will be," Regina replies assuredly. "I'm afraid it might take more than that, however."

With a smirk, Emma offers, "You can tell my mother I got you pregnant."

"Well now," she purrs, "it appears you do love me after all."

"Uh huh."

**The End**


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